Eclipse
by BlueEyes444
Summary: 1 AU Sirius and Lupin ended up with baby Harry that night and ran. Years later, they're found and forced to go to Hogwarts. As they try to adjust to the wizarding world again, they must prove their innocence and keep Harry alive.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: If I did own the wonderful world of Hogwarts, I would have never killed out the good people. Just Voldemort, because he is one really bad dude. Oh, yeah, and then Wormtail and Bellatrix because they're purely _evil_.**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta, ****Miles333****.**

**Revised as of Junes 17th 2013.**

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Chapter One

Sirius Orion Black had never been a patient man. _Ever_. He figured that if he had been, life would be dull and slow and very boring. And really, what fun would that be?

Cooking the Muggle way, for instance, was one of those things that made his impatience grow. Even after twelve years, he had never quite gotten the hang of cooking without magic. Actually, he had never gotten the cooking part in general but that was beside the point. Anyway, that was why, back in the old days, before you know, everything went to hell, he had usually bummed off his friends for various meals.

Why couldn't Remus do this? He furrowed his brows and stared at the cookbook, in deep thought as he read the neatly printed words. It couldn't be that hard to cook a simple cake, could it?

That was obviously a trick question. And that was probably why Remus made Sirius do that.

He muttered something unsavory under his breath, carefully re-reading the directions which felt like at least the sixtith time. How could you put an egg to it? That didn't make any sense. Did you break it or just put it in whole? He thought you would break it, but it just said to –

"Having trouble, Padfoot?" He jumped, scowling as he dropped the egg into the gooey mess of brown batter.

"Lupin," Sirius snarled, eyeing the other man with annoyance before turning back to the egg situation. He was _not_ going to reach into _that_ for a stupid egg.

"Sirius, what are you _trying_ to do?" Remus Lupin asked, tone innocent, and obviously amused, walking over to stand by him. He glanced down at the bowl, expression seeming to waver between worry and amusement.

"Cake," Sirius replied shortly, brows creasing. "It's Harry's thirteenth, as you know." He gave a pointed look at the other man, who was grinning at Sirius' annoyed gaze.

"Cake? Looks to me more like a mess," Lupin announced after a moment, taking a whiff of the mixture before giving a grimace. "Maybe we should just buy a cake from one of the stores."

Before Sirius knew it, he broke out into a laugh. "Can you believe this, Moony? Two grown wizards who I have to say can be pretty bloody powerful talking about getting a cake from a _M__uggle_ store." Abruptly, the dog Animagus became serious, leaning heavily against the kitchen counter.

"I think it's _time, _Remus."

Remus pressed his lips into a thin line and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his tan coat, his eyes and expression sad. "Its high-time Harry learns the truth, but…" He trailed off, not sure how to put what was on his mind into words, his eyes saying it all though.

"I know, Moony, I know," Sirius said, pushing himself off the counter. He did know. Oh, how he knew. "I don't want to tell him yet but I've already noticed that his magic's flaring up, and I know you've noticed too. And he's been having more and more nightmares recently." He grimaced, remembering the terrified screams that had been waking him up most every night for the last several months. "We have charms up but somebody's going to notice something, sooner or later."

Lupin nodded grimly, patting his friend on the shoulder. "We'll do it tonight. We don't want to ruin his birthday." With that the werewolf turned around and started to walk out of the kitchen door.

"Where are you going?" Sirius called, frowning as he turned back to the cake. What was he supposed to do with _this_?

"I've got things to do. Have to get a cake, for one thing. And I need to get a couple of other things ready for tonight," Remus said, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't blow up the house while I'm gone." He left and Sirius gave a puzzled frown. Tempted to using the bond before deciding against it, he turned to look back at the gooey mess that was supposed to be cake better.

"Hey, Uncle Sirius." Sirius was reaching for his wand out of instinct before realising that it wasn't an enemy, that it was just his godson. He forced himself to relax a little as he turned around.

"Feel any older, Harry?"

The freshly turned thirteen-year-old smiled a little, brushing a piece of shaggy brown hair from his startlingly bright emerald eyes. "Not really, Sirius." Sirius returned the smile.

"Good. That means you're normal." Sirius offered a cheeky grin andus forced himself not to emphasize the "normal" part. All this talk about finally telling Harry the truth was making him a bit on edge.

Harry chuckled, looking over Sirius' shoulder at the cake that his godfather had been making. His eyes widened, his expression terribly disgusted.

"Sirius, what's _that?"_

Sirius gave a snort, straightening. "Well, truthfully? It's your cake." He couldn't help but laugh at the look of dread that flashed upon the teen's face as he stared at the goopy dark brown puddle.

"Well, it _was_," Sirius continued, smirking slightly. "But, since it doesn't look that…you know…_eatable_, Remus is on his way to get a cake." _And who knows what else._ Harry looked relieved at this new bit of information.

"Good," Harry replied. "Not that I doubt your cooking skills or anything…" He gave Sirius an innocent look that reminded him of James. His throat suddenly felt tight.

He cleared it. "Well since today is your birthday, I won't comment on that, okay?" Sirius grimaced one more time at the brown mess before walking over to the white rubbish bin. Man, was that ever gross looking. He watched as it slowly dripped into the bin.

His mind strayed to another brown mess that had happened in his third year of potions at Hogwarts. Oh, a good time, a good time that had been. He didn't remember what he was trying to make at the time but James had dared him to do something to it, put some root in it or something and by the time it was all said and done, it ended up being brown, pasty, and disgusting.

It had been hilarious. Expect when it had spontaneously decided to blow up. He had had to go to visit Poppy Pomfrey, the medi-witch, for three weeks. To see his Potions teacher's look of disbelief and shook had been completely worth it though. Good old Slughorn. He had never really liked that guy.

"–Sirius?" He blinked, startled before turning back to his very amused godson.

"…What?"

Harry shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Never mind. Where were you?"

Sirius shook his head once more then realized the former cake batter had finished dribbling into the rubbish some time ago. He made a look of disgust before walking back to the sink. "Well, I was thinking, actually…"

"Wait, you were _thinking_?" Harry interrupted, eyebrows rising with disbelief.

Sirius gave a mock hurt look. "Well, fine then. Insult my intelligence, see what I care." He rinsed the bowl before placing it half-heartedly in the sink. He would deal with _that_ later. Actually, _Lupin_ would deal with it later. He leaned against the counter as he gave Harry a very amused look.

Harry laughed, folding his arms. "Sorry. But, really. What were you thinking? You zoned out on me."

Sirius shrugged, wiping his wet hands on a towel. "Actually, I was thinking about my school days. Oh, those were the days..." He trailed off, recalling the days when it had been just James, him, Lily, Lupin and…he frowned, glancing down at his hands. He _didn't_ want think about them. That was in the past. A long time ago. But even as he told himself that, he knew he could never move on. Not really.

"Yeah?"

Sirius shrugged, purposefully ignoring Harry's stare, studying the floor tile for a moment. "Oh never mind, you probably won't want to be bored out of your mind while I recall my school days." He paused; brow furrowing as he racked his mind for something else to talk about, pulling his eyes from the floor and going up to Harry's face. "That reminds me, where do you want to go out tonight?" Every year, they went out to celebrate their birthdays. An attempt at normalcy.

Harry frowned, gaze fixing on a spot on the tiled floor, the same spot that Sirius had been eariler looking at. "I haven't really thought about it yet."

Sirius snickered, straightening. "How about this. If you finish up your history whatever that Remus gave you, we'll go to that new cafe downtown."

Harry grinned, turning towards the door. "Sure. Just don't let him hear you call his assignments "history whatever". He'll have a cow."

Sirius chuckled, before pushing himself off the counter. "Probably not a good idea if that happened. Now scat. The sooner you get _that_ done, the sooner we can eat." Harry laughed, leaving the kitchen. Sirius hoped that he actually did his history assignment. Harry had a tendency of getting distracted. Another thing he got from James. But in this case, it wasn't a girl distracting him. Thank Merlin.

Which reminded him, he needed to ask Lupin when it would be the best time to sit down with Harry and talk to him about the other sex. Oh, that was going to be fun.

Sirius snickered at the thought of before becoming serious, his lips together in a thin line.

He halfheartedly scratched his forehead, scowling to no one. How could he be so _stupid_ at times? He needed to be on guard every second, not losing himself in normal Muggle life like he was now. He sighed, shoulders slumping, losing the scowl. While Harry was sleeping tonight, he needed to work on something. He needed to sharpen up on his magic, needed to be ready in every way possible so he could protect Harry the best way he could possibly. And Lupin. He would always protect him, even if he knew that Remus could take care of himself fairly well.

"_How could you, Wormtail?" Sirius snarled, barely refraining from throwing himself at the rat Animagus and killing him right then and there, his body shaking. "They were our best friends. We were a _family. _I thought that meant something to you?" _

Sirius pulled himself out of the memory and back into the reality of the kitchen. The memories would always plague him, no matter how much time passed.

A sharp knock echoed on the front door and Sirius froze, a heavy feeling settling in his stomach, though he had no idea why.

"I'm sure it's nothing," he said, but despite that reassurance, he still kept a hand on his wand which was tucked into one of his shirt sleeved as he walked to the door. "Probably some Muggle trying to sale something."

He unhooked the large deadbolt before pulling back the wooden door.

A man that Sirius knew quite well was standing on the outside, dressed in black robes, hair a mess of black grease.

Of all the people, it just had to be him. Of course it did.

Sirius felt his face lose its color and his heart beat so hard against his chest he thought it would crack his ribs. He swallowed roughly, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.

His mouth curled into a scowl. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't hex you right now, Snivellus? Because I _really_ want to."


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world of Hogwarts. If I did, my name would be ****J.K Rowling****, which it is certainly not.**

**A/N: A huge, well-deserved round of thanks to my grand beta, Miles333 for doing such a great job****. :D**

**Revised: 6/17/2013**

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Chapter Two

"Long time no see, Black," the man sneered. His lips twisted up in a smirk that lit up his pale face. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Sirius forced himself not to lunge at the other man, keeping his voice calm and steady as he stepped out onto the front step, closing the door behind him. "No, because you never answered my question, Snape. And you better answer pretty fast, because I _will_ hex you straight back to _Voldemort _if you give me enough time." To get his point across, he took a step closer to the slightly shorter man, narrowing his eyes dangerously. He was tempted to pull out his wand but there were neighbors and the Muggles asking questions would not help anything.

Snape gave the smallest of flinches at the name, and if Sirius didn't know him so well, he would have missed it completely, dark eyes glistening with fury before he sneered, ignoring the threat and straightening. "Albus sent me. You should feel lucky he didn't send a whole army after you. It took us twelve years, but we finally found you."

Sirius gave a snarl. "_Found_ us? Twelve long years of running for our lives and you _found_ us? If we didn't want you to find us, you would still be looking." His voice dropped down a notch, becoming far more deadly than before.

"We wanted you to find us, Snape. We wanted Albus…" He sneered while saying this part, still too furious at his former Headmaster not to, "…to send someone after us. Didn't he see it? Didn't _anyone_ see it? You found us because we could finally stop running if you did." He exhaled between clenched teeth and tried to regain control. He shouldn't be losing his temper. He was better then that.

When he finally thought he had gotten himself under control, he forced himself to look at his old friend, still seething. What surprised him was Snape's expression. The Potions Master was staring at him with a mixture of puzzlement and scorn.

"You _let_ us find you?" He sniffed, folding his arms across his chest. "What are you talking about, Black?"

"I'm talking about the truth, _Severus_," Sirius retorted sharply, slightly gleeful at the tight expression that using Snape's first name brought on. "We didn't betray James and Lily that night. It was _Pettigrew, _that damnable rat." He clenched his fists tightly together, fingers digging into his palms. His head filled with memories that had never really gone away of broken bodies and old friends and the only thing that kept him from breaking apart was the anger that was coursing through his blood.

Snape glanced at him, face full of disgust. "Everyone knows it was you and that filthy werewolf, Lupin. There was too much evidence."

Before Sirius could think about what he was doing and how stupid it was, his fist connected hard with Severus' jaw. The blunt hit sent Severus reeling and pain shot through his hand.

With one quick movement, he had the other man's robes clenched firmly into his fists and his face was inches from Snapes's face, eyes wild with an almost animistic fury. "First, do not _ever_ call Lupin that, understand? And second, we would _never_ betray James and Lily like Pettigrew did. We would have _died_ before letting Voldemort within even a hundred yards of them."

Snape pulled himself from Sirius' grip, looking thoroughly disgusted. He brushed at his robes, scowling.

"You think I'll believe you over a dead man, Black?" Severus scorned. "You and Lupin slaughtered fifteen Muggles and Pettigrew before running."

Sirius shook his head bitterly and found to his horror that his hands were visibly trembling. "The Muggles weren't supposed to have been killed. I know it was our fault. And that's something that still haunts me. But _Pettigrew_."

For a brief moment, his eyes held a haunted look but it was gone quickly. "Pettigrew got what he had coming to him. He betrayed James and Lily to the Dark Lord. He did it _willingly_." He took a deep breath. "I know we probably should be in Azkaban right now, but we're the only ones Harry ever had. I refuse to let someone take him away from us."

His voice dropped a notch, barely above a whisper. "Please, _Severus_. Give us the benefit of the doubt for once." He laughed humorless, dark eyes wild. "Not that we deserve it, not that you would easily give it to us easily, bu _please_, Severus. Let us tell Harry and come to Hogwarts on our own. _Please_. We'll explain everything to Albus and whoever else wants to know. _Please_, Snape, let us have this one day. One day only, then we'll come to Hogwarts and we can do whatever we need to do."

Sirius could easily hear the desperation in his own voice, but he couldn't help it. He needed Snape to help them. He was their last choice, their last chance. When Remus and him had orchestrated this thing several months ago, this was their only choice and if this failed, if Snape didn't help them, well, he wasn't sure what would happen.

"Why?" Snape demanded, crossing his arms firmly over his chest. "Why, Black?"

Sirius slumped his shoulders, finding himself unable to look at Snape and how he hated himself for that. "Because we were...friends once...and he's Lily's son. And you know you can't let her down. He's just a boy, Severus. Please. You owe us. Owe _her."_

Snape blinked, expression blank and he frowned slightly, eyebrows creasing. Sirius knew him well enough to see he was on the verge of going either way.

"Give me a day," Sirius said, and he was begging, he knew that, but really this was their last chance. "Give us a day, twelve hours at the most. Do it for Harry. For _Lily_."

Severus gave Sirius one long look and Sirius knew he had him, though he couldn't exhale just yet. "Fine. For _Lily_. If you don't show up at Hogwarts tomorrow, I'll have the Ministry and Aurors here. Understand?" Sirius nodded and Snape r turned around, robes sweeping behind him dramatically, before stalking down the small driveway, off to Apparate somewhere that the Muggles couldn't see, Sirius suspected.

Sirius finally exhaled, briefly closing his eyes as he took a moment to clear his head somewhat. After a few seconds, he opened them again before sitting down on the step. A sudden exhaustion overtook him and he guessed that it was twelve years of running finally deciding to catch up with him after all these years.

Gently, Sirius probed his and Lupin's bond for a moment, before sending a burst of warmth through it. It wasn't long before Lupin's voice rang out his head.

_What's wrong?_

Their bond was never closed, not really, just dulled a little so they could have their privacy when they wanted and now with Lupin's question, Sirius opened it all the way, letting all his memories of everything that happened in the last few minutes flood through.

_I think you need to come home now, Remus._ Sirius sounded tired, even mentally.

_I'm on my way. _A silence for a beat. _I should have been there with you._

Sirius rubbed a hand down his face. His head throbbed. _We didn't know._

A burst of worry came through from Remus then. _I'll be there as soon as I can. _

Reassured in a way that Remus could only do, Sirius felt relief rush over him as he pulled over the incident with Snape. It would be an understatement to say they were in a bind but they were. He didn't know what way this was going to go but he knew for a fact they would not, could not, lose Harry.

Sirius sighed then stood up, handing back inside. He shut the front door before leaning heavily against it against a moment. What was going to happen now?

A flood of warmth filled him and he smiled at the mental comfort. _Thanks, Remus. _

He went into the living room and threw himself down on the cough, wincing when his hand got jarred from the movement. Studying it, he saw how swollen his hand had gotten. Ouch. He needed to do something about that really soon.

Not a moment after he had the thought, Remus came in, holding several bags in his hands. He had them on the floor and was walking over to Sirius before he could even sit up.

Upon closer inspection, Sirius saw there was worry lines on his friend's face that hadn't been there this morning. This wasn't surprising.

Lupin set down beside him and without a word, held his hand out. Sirius placed his injured one in it. Remus pulled out his wand and with a mutter of _episkey, _Sirius's hand went very hot then very cold. The swelling then went down.

"Thanks," Sirius said, taking his hand out of Lupin's and rubbing it gently. "But you know, I can take care of myself now."

Remus offered a tired smile. "Well, I've taken care of you since we were eleven. Why should I stop now?"

Sirius rested his head briefly on his shoulder. "I meant it, you know. Thank you. For _everything,_ Moony."

"You don't have to thank me for anything," Remus said, combing his fingers through Sirius's tangled hair. "You know that."

Sirius pulled away and gave him a level stare. "Yes, I do. Of course I do."

Remus shook his head, opening his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Harry saying, "Do what?"

They both looked up to find Harry on the last step on the staircase, holding his homework and staring at them with open curiosity.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Hey, I was just about to come and get you."

_Should we wait or tell him now?_

_Now. He'll need time to process it all._

"Really? What's up?" Harry walked over to them, throwing his papers onto the coffee table before sitting down in a chair opposite of where Remus and Sirius were sitting.

Sirius chewed on his lower lip for a moment before sighing. "It's time you knew the truth. The whole truth." He was trying to delay it for as long as possible.

"What are you talking about?" There was a look of concern on Harry's face, his green eyes flickering between their faces.

"We lied to you Harry," Lupin said, clasping his hands together in front of him. "We lied to you about a lot of things. We were trying to protect you and we're still trying to but it's time for you to know." His voice broke a little and Sirius reached out a hand and grabbed one of his. "You're a wizard and I know how simply mad that sounds but it's true. You're a wizard and you're the Savior of Wizarding Kind."


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Harry **_**Potter or assorted people, places, and things. The only thing I do own is my plot. Now on the other hand, if I did own **_**Harry Potter, **_**my name would be ****J.K. Rowling**_**,**_** which obviously it isn't.**

**A/N: A big thanks to the best beta on Earth ****Miles333**** for all her incredible work beta-ing. **

**Summary - ********1 AU Sirius and Lupin ended up with baby Harry that night and ran. Years later, they're found and forced to go to Hogwarts. As they try to adjust to the wizarding world again, they must prove their innocence and keep Harry alive… No slash. **

**Thanks to: ****Miles333****, ****mena potter****, ****Cinnamon Selkie****, and ****Angeena**** for all the incredible reviews. Thanks so much! :D And to the people who favorited, and story-alerted, thanks to you guys too! :D **

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**Here's the review response to mena potter-**

**Well, I'm **_**really**_** glad that you like it. :D I don't want ruin anything, but its rated T because of what's going to come up in later chapters, such as a really bad injury in chapter six. Nothing too graphic or gory, of course. Also, I'll try to update sooner. Maybe Saturday if I'm lucky. **

**And, you brought up a really good point that I completely forgot about: Why hasn't Voldemort killed Harry yet because there's no Petunia around? Well, now that I remember, it's actually going to be explained in chapter five how Sirius and Remus pulled it off. Anyway, I'm really flattered about how much you like it. –beams happily- It means a lot to me. Thanks for the review. It really meant a lot hearing from you. :)**

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Chapter Three

Harry burst out laughing at Sirius's statement, amusement coating his features. "Pranking me for that glue and chocolate syrup I put in your shampoo are we, Orion? I thought you would come up with something better then that," he snorted, barely refraining from laughing again.

Lupin shot a look at Sirius that said, _You are absolutely tactless, aren't you, Sirius? _before turning his gaze at Harry. "It's the truth, Harry. You're a wizard." He spoke calmly, but his emotions were whirling in an internal turmoil. This was _not_ what he had been hoping would happen. Actually, he didn't know what exactly he had been hoping for, but this certainly wasn't it.

Harry chortled, rolling his eyes heavenward. "You're in on it too, Uncle John? I thought you would now better than this." The teen shook his head, obviously amused.

Remus pressed his lips together in a thin line and shook his own head, glancing worriedly at Harry. He guessed this was better then Harry actually believing them. Maybe. "It's not a joke, Harry." The werewolf shrugged out of his tan coat, throwing it casually beside him, revealing an almost skin tight white t-shirt. Then he pulled out a wand from inside his shirt.

Sirius frowned, brows furrowing. _How in the bloody world did he fit that inside his shirt?_ he wondered.

Remus clutched the wand tightly, before pointing it towards Harry.

"_Lumios Maxima._" With that command, the wand lit up in an insanely bright glow. Harry shielded his eyes with his hand, gawking at it.

Then he let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Good one. For a moment there, I actually thought it was real. So, how did you do it?"

Sirius felt like hitting his hand across his face a few times, but stopped himself. He sighed. "Remus, I really didn't want to have to do this right now, but how about you go get that stuff you bought?"

Lupin nodded, glad to get out of the room and do something. He grabbed his coat, nodded at Harry, then left the room.

Sirius sighed, leaning back. "Well how about this, kid. I'm going to give you some of the facts, then you can tell me if you still don't believe us." The wizard paused, letting Harry slowly and very doubtfully nod, before speaking again,

"My real name is Sirius Orion Black. Lupin's is Remus John Lupin. _Your_ full name is Harry James Potter, and we are all on the run because...some people...think we kidnapped you which we didn't. Your parents were James and Lily Potter. You look uncannily like your father, except for your eyes, which look exactly like your mother's did.

"Your parents were killed by the psychopathic Lord Voldemort, and he nearly killed you too. You know that little lighting shaped scar on your forehead? That's from the killing curse that killed him and spared you. And the dreams that I know you've been having are actually memories. The flash of green light was from the killing curse. The woods were when we were taking you from was Godric's Hallow, your home. The woman screaming was Lily and the screams of anguish were from…" His lips curled in disgust, then he finally said,

"They were from Voldemort." He kept his voice as natural as possible. He couldn't afford to be choked up about Lily and James. Harry _had_ to understand what he was being told right now.

Harry knitted his eyebrows together as he started pacing, trying to make his mind process what his godfather had just told him. Magic was _real_, which _should_ have been impossible. His uncle John was really Remus John. Orion was really Sirius Orion Black. He had been lied to all of his life. His parents were named James and Lily Potter. He wasn't Harold, he was _Harry _James Potter. He had his mother's eyes and his father's looks. They were killed by a man killed Voldemort. And the nightmares that he had every night now were actually memories. It was a lot to take in.

No matter how much his head protested that none of this could possibly be real, his heat was telling him differently. It explained why he was homeschooled for all his life, why no one ever came to visit. Why he could sometimes hear his two uncles talking in hushed tones at night about the Chosen One and He-Who-We-Probably-Shouldn't-Name-Because-Of-Possible-Ears-Listening-In.

Why he never got actually to go outside expect when either one or both of the adults came with him. And even these trips were usually at night. Why both of his uncles never talked about his parents. Why he woke up some nights to hear J–_Remus_ sobbing. Why he heard his other uncle pace restlessly up and down the halls on every Halloween night.

Harry had to keep his balance as he fought to keep the floor from rushing up and meeting him.

"But…there's no such _thing_ as magic," he protested weakly, paling as he stopped momentarily in his pacing. "This _can't_ be real."

"'Fraid so, Harry," Sirius replied gently, seeing how pale his godson was getting. "Magic is real."

Harry was shaking his head, emerald orbs becoming almost glassy. "But…"

"It's real," Sirius repeated, getting up before he pulled Harry into a hug. He could feel the teen's body trembling against him and he hugged him tighter. Harry shuddered, before he finally broke down, hard sobs shaking his body.

Sirius stiffened, hating how much pain his godson was in, while secretly wishing that Lupin was back. He would know how to comfort the young wizard, surely. Sirius personally didn't do well with expressing a lot of emotions. And he did a lot worse when people were expressing emotions such as sobbing.

He always thought it was sort of awkward.

Where was Lupin, anyway? He had only gone downstairs. Something had to be wrong…

Vigilant, Sirius searched his mind for the strong, gold thread of magic that he and Lupin were bonded with. After Harry had turned two and Lupin had one too many nightmares of the past, Sirius was the one who suggested they become bonded, and Lupin had agreed.

_Lupin?_

Silence.

Sirius chewed on his lower lip before mentally giving the thread a tug. _Moony?_

Silence for a few beats, then: _We have a problem, Sirius._

_What's wrong?_

_It looks like Snape didn't trust us enough. He's sent Mrs. Figg,__along with Kingsley._

Sirius frowned, confused, still hugging Harry tightly to his chest. _…Who?_ he asked through their link, figuring by the way that Lupin said they had a problem meant that he actually knew who these people were.

Remus sighed through their link before replying, _Mrs. Figg. A Squib. Remember? She was an Order member. Still is, __probably. Kingsley is an Order member. He went to school with us. _

Sirius frowned, trying to figure things out. Mrs. Figg. Mrs. Figg. Mrs.…_Figg_! That was it. Short woman, sweet tempered, sort of reminded him of Lupin's mum. Kingsley…um, he didn't exactly remember that one.

_Where are they?_

_Walking up and down the street, watching._ _Waiting. _

Sirius swore silently, tightening his grip around the now silent Harry, who was still in his arms. _Okay. We'll have to deal with that problem later. Right now, Harry needs us both. He knows we're telling the truth._

Sirius could feel Lupin stiffen before he asked, _How's he taking it?_

_Well, considering…_ Sirius trailed off, staring down at Harry's rumpled brown hair with worry.

_I'll be right there._

Then Sirius was left alone with his thoughts, which were disturbing enough without being by himself with them.

Almost unconsciously, he tightened his grip around the teen and started lightly swaying back and forth, humming a song that he had heard Lupin sing more then one time when they were younger.

A moment later, there was a gentle tap on the door and a very pale Lupin opened the door, balancing three cups of steaming tea and three wrapped chocolate bars in his hands. He walked over and sat a pair of mugs and a pair of bars on the floor. He saved one of each item in his hands, obviously for Harry.

Sirius quickly stopped humming, embarrassed that his old friend caught him, Sirius Orion Black, _humming_.

The wizard gently pried a very ghostly looking Harry off, before helping him sit down on the bed. Harry stared down silently at his hands, not moving a muscle as he sank onto the lumpy mattress.

Lupin silently handed him the tea and chocolate, Harry numbly taking them. The adult wizards both set on the floor, Sirius's left hand casually wrapping around Harry's ankle. Lupin seriously doubted his childhood friend even knew what he was doing it.

"Tell…tell me about them," Harry whispered, staring into the steam rising from the rim of his mug. "My…my parents, I mean."

Sirius gave a sad smile, taking a sip from his own mug. "James and us…we grew up together, best of friends. Called ourselves the Marauders. Always getting into some kind of trouble together at Hogwarts…" He trailed off, smiling at the past memory. "Hogwarts was the school that we attended when we were younger. It's probably going be the school you attend soon, too."

Lupin nudged the other man hard in the ribs, frowning at him. Harry should have some time between learning about his parents and magic and _that_.

Harry choked on the tea he was drinking, eyes widening and meeting Lupin's. "W-what?"

Lupin nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so."

Harry started shaking his head, trembling lightly. "_No_."

Lupin placed a hand gently on Harry's knee. "We'll talk about it later."

Harry nodded silently, taking a bite of chocolate. Swallowing, he glanced pleadingly at both of his adopted uncles. "Can I be by myself for a little while?"

Lupin shot Sirius a look before he nodded. Pulling himself up with his own tea and chocolate, Sirius followed suit. Each man gave Harry a quick hug before leaving the room and going out into the hallway.

After they had shut the door, Lupin sunk down on the floor, resting his head tiredly against the wall. "Well, that went well."

Sirius nodded, sitting down beside Lupin, taking a bite of his chocolate. "Well, it really did, Moony. He could have never believed us," he pointed out dryly.

Lupin smiled tiredly. "You're right. I just wish we didn't have to lay it all on him now." He paused, eyes becoming thoughtful. "What are we going to do about his birthday? Have it at Hogwarts?"

The illegal Animagus gave a moan, wanting to hit himself a few times. "Guess so. Heck of a birthday, if you ask me."

Harry's other godfather nodded, finishing his candy before speaking, "I agree." He took a sip of his warm tea, thinking before he asked, "What are we going to do about Mrs. Figg and Kingsley?"

Sirius gave a look of pure smugness. "Let me deal with them. I'll tell them we're about to go to Hogwarts, and they really shouldn't waste time walking up and down the street."

Remus had a strong feeling that he really just wanted to get some frustration out. But he didn't comment, only nodded. "I'll talk with Harry, then get some stuff ready. We'll be ready within the hour, I think."

Sirius bobbed his head once, standing up. Taking Lupin's glass from his hand, he grinned before hurrying down the hallway and towards the staircase.

Remus sighed, shaking his head and walking down the hallway towards his room. He would give his godson some more time to gather his thoughts before going to talk with him.

* * *

After using a simple incantation he had been working on creating throughout the years while he had been raising Harry, something to shrink things enough to be placed in a simple bag, Remus had both his own and Sirius's rooms along with the all of downstairs packed in four simple duffel bags.

Dropping them beside the staircase, he made his way to Harry's room, stopping just outside of it. Taking a deep breath, the wizard rapped gently on the door before opening it. Harry was standing by the window that faced into their front yard, back towards the door.

"Harry?"

"Sod off, Joh– _Lupin_," Harry muttered, dourly, still keeping his gaze on the window. His body was tense and Remus could see that his knuckles were white.

"Harry, we need to talk," the Marauder said gently, plopping down on Harry's bed. He had a strong guess that this was actually going to take a while."About the rest of it. I don't want to push you or anything, but we have to be at Hogwarts tomorrow morning, first thing."

Harry's shoulders tensed, but he refused to meet his adopted uncle's gaze. "Well, I'll do the talking. Feel free to join in any time now.

"The man who came this morning was Severus Snape, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's right hand man. He's a bloody…" Lupin cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing, "Well, that's for a later story. Sirius got him to agree to give us one more day before we have to go to Hogwarts. And if we don't, he's going to bring the Minstery and Aurors and everyone else he can convince over here.

"They'll convict us to Azkaban for murder and kidnapping and helping the Dark Lord, and take you away from us." Lupin slumped further into Harry's mattress, voice dropping into a whisper. "And they would have to _kill_ me and Paddy before we let them do that."

Harry at last looked over at Lupin, slowly blinking his green eyes. "Azkaban? Kidnapping? The Dark Lord? Aurors? Minstery?"

The werewolf rubbed his hands tiredly across his face with a heavy sigh. "Azkaban is the wizard prison. A lot tougher then any human prisons out there. I'll tell you more about that later. Everyone thinks that we kidnapped you, but legally we're both your godfathers, and that means that if something ever happened to your parents, we would have sole custody over you. Except no one knows that we're your legal guardians and we're both wanted for kidnapping."

Lupin let out his breath slowly before continuing, "The Dark Lord is Voldemort, the wizard that killed…" He trailed off, swallowing around the sudden lump that was in his throat before he could continue. "That killed James and Lily.

"He was hunting your parents and you, the only person that…" Lupin couldn't form the words that he needed, eyes suddenly filling with moisture. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, Aurors are wizards or witches that are trained to catch dangerous Dark Wizards or Witches. Dark means they're either working with a Dark Lord, such as Voldemort or, they're just plain bad.

"The Minstery…well, Sirius can tell you about them. He used to work for them, actually," Lupin finished, pulling himself up from Harry's bed and onto his feet, walking over to stand beside Harry. "He was an Auror. He still is."

Harry sighed, turning all the way from the window, features wary. "So we really have to go, huh?"

"Yes," the werewolf replied, giving the Boy-Who-Lived a quick hug. "I'm afraid so, Harry."

Harry smiled grimly before cocking his head to the side.

"I have to ask, how am I going to pack all my things?"

Remus gave him a look of surprise, then smiled. "You remind me way too much of Sirius," he muttered, pulling out his wand from inside his coat. Doing the same charm he had done on his own room, everything was magically packed into the green duffel that was in Harry's closet.

"That might make it easier. When you're ready, meet me downstairs in the living room." Lupin gave Harry another smile before leaving. As he shut the door, he sighed. That had gone better then he expected.

Walking over to the staircase, the werewolf in human form swung the bags onto his shoulders before walking down. When he got to the first story, he turned and went into the living room, not expecting to see Sirius there.

But he was there, stretched out over the couch, looking annoyed as he clutched an icepack to his jaw. A huge bruise was already forming.

"I take it that it didn't go well?" Lupin guessed quietly, cocking his head to the side as he plopped the bags down by the fireplace.

"Well what do you think?" Sirius retorted, scowling. "Kingsley punched me in the jaw. Looks like we have more of a reputation in the Wizarding world then we knew."

Lupin didn't comment on that, letting Sirius sulk. "Harry should be down in a minute. "

"I'm right here." Lupin turned around and saw a very timid looking Harry standing uncomfortably behind him.

Harry's eyes flicked from Lupin to Sirius where they lingered, growing wide. "Um, what _happened_?"

Sirius scowled, pulling himself to his feet and walking over to one of the bags, stuffing it inside one of them. "You _really_ don't want to know," he managed to get out through clenched teeth, wincing as pain shot through his month.

The other two wizards shot each other a worried look before Lupin motioned for Harry to join them by the fireplace. After taking three of the bags, Remus pulled out a large package of what appeared to be dirt from one of them and gave it to Sirius, who had one bag hanging from his shoulder.

"This is Floo powder," Remus explained, motioning with his hand towards the large bag of something Harry thought to be dirt. Or sand. "Watch," he told the younger wizard, giving him a reassuring smile. "It can only work if the place you're heading is connected to what's called the Floo network. Sirius."

Sirius gave a loud sigh before throwing a large amount of Floo power in the fireplace, tucking the bag into his duffel. After grabbing both Harry and Lupin's hands, he declared loudly,

"Severus Snape's offices." They stepped inside.

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**And that was chapter three. Hoped it made up for the long wait, and I also hope everyone enjoyed it. If you want to, please drop a review. I really would like to know what you guys think about all this. :D**


	4. Chapter Four

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**Disclaimer: I do not own assorted people, places, or things that have to do with **_**Harry Potter**_**. I do, however, own my plot. **

**A/N: A big thanks to my enormously magnificent beta, ****Miles333****. **

**Summary - ****1 AU Sirius and Lupin ended up with baby Harry that night and ran. Years later, they're found and forced to go to Hogwarts. As they try to adjust to the wizarding world again, they must prove their innocence and keep Harry alive… No slash. **

**Thanks to: Angeena, Miles333, Ina, and Cinnamon Selkie for being hugely and amazingly marvelous. :^) Also, thanks to everyone who either favorited or alerted this story. All you guys are so awesome. :D**

**This is probably the first of two chapters everyone has been waiting for. Sirius and Albus have a confrontation, before Sirius confesses everything to Albus. Hope this clears most of it up and with a bit of luck this makes up for the long wait and I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I update my other two stories which will be soon. :D Also, speaking of said long wait, blame it on a lousy internet connection. On another hand, please read AN at end. **

**Also, to ****mena potter**** if she's still reading this:**

**This is the chapter I assume you've been looking forward to but up a chapter to four instead of five. Hope you're enjoying it. :D**

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Chapter Four

The three wizards stumbled out of the fireplace. Sirius tossed his duffel to the ground, then shot a look around. Not in the last twelve years had he thought he would be back here. The Dungeons, as he and James had nicknamed the Potions classroom. It had about eight counters with three stools behind each one. At the front, it had a desk and a chair, along with a chalkboard beside it.

Just as he remembered it. Though he didn't have a lot of good memories set inside it, the Potions room still held a place in his heart.

He blinked, then briefly smirked. So, this was Sev's office. He snorted mentally, shaking his head. Of course. He should've guessed that Snape would be the Potions Master here. Nobody could beat him in that. Even though he would never admit it to the man in question, Sirius thought that he was brilliant in that. Of course, he never would breathe a word of that to anyone, especially Lupin or Severus.

His mouth twisted up in a grim smile, then he turned to Harry. The poor boy looked ashen, and was visibly trembling. His emerald eyes were wide and terrified. Sirius definitely couldn't blame him for being afraid. He slid an arm around Harry's shoulders and hugged him as Lupin dropped his own bags. The werewolf pried Harry's duffel gently from his hands and set it down besides the others.

"Where…where are we?" the Boy Who Lived asked, voice uneven. He swallowed, and then glanced back at the fireplace. "And what exactly was _that_?"

"That was Floo transportation," Lupin explained patiently, giving his godson a reassuring smile. "And this is…" He trailed off, frowning. "It seems to be Professor Snape's classroom." The werewolf raised his eyebrows, surveying the room and pressing his lips into a line. Sirius could tell his old friend wasn't surprised that Snape was a teacher here either.

"Professor?" Harry squeaked, paling even more. Sirius could see that Harry really didn't like the idea of getting taught by a man who that had fought with one of his godfathers earlier that day.

"Listen, kid," Sirius grinned at Harry, eyes sparkling with amusement."Don't worry about him. The worse he can give you is detention, even if he _can_ scare the heck out of you. And remember, you have high connections with people here, even if you don't know them yet. You have some people to back you up."

Remus bobbed his head in agreement, running a hand through his light brown hair. "And besides, Harry, I doubt he wants to run into Sirius again for a while. I bet that jaw is hurting an awful lot now."

Sirius chuckled at this, more amused then he had been a short minute ago.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement, eyes flickering from Lupin then to Sirius. "What do you mean exactly, Joh – Lupin?"

Sirius shrugged, answering for the other Marauder. "Well, I punched him in the jaw. Nothing big, just him being a bloody Slytherin git."

Harry's eyes widened, looking dazed.

"Oh," he replied hesitantly, blinking. Then he continued, "Uh, what exactly is Sly-the-rin?"

"Ah _yes_, Slytherin," Sirius commented. "Here at Hogwarts, there are four Houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. At the beginning of their first year here, students are sorted into one of these Houses, depending on their personalities, by the Sorting Hat.

"And the Sorting Hat is…" Sirius trailed off, shooting a look at Lupin. "How would it best be described?"

Lupin pondered that for a moment, sitting down on one of the stools. "A hat that was magicked to talk and poke around in your brain?" he suggested.

The former Gryffindor nodded eagerly, sitting down on the stool beside Lupin. Harry followed suit, sitting down across from his godfathers. "Yep, couldn't describe it better myself. Well, it's up to the Hat to decide where you should go.

"Slytherin is for the cunning, secretive, cruel, and sly. Most of them think that the other Houses are dirt on the ground, and they're usually idiots. But, two in every forty are decent enough, my younger brother was one of those two when we came here. My family members were all Slytherins expect me.

"After I was Sorted, everyone but my baby brother and two cousins of mine decided to disown me, but that was nothing. I consider it was the best thing they ever did in my lifetime."

Sirius paused, mind trying to wander back to his Black days, when he was raised to be a cunning and cruel wizard that would be Voldemort's servent. And how he would never see his baby brother again, thanks to Voldemort.

Harry stared at the dark-haired wizard with concern. He had never heard the older man refer to his family before, but judging from the way he just clasped his hands together and how his knuckles turned white, they were something he didn't really feel like thinking about.

Remus shot his friend a sympathetic look before taking up the talk, letting the Animagus gather himself up. "Hufflepuffs are incredibly loyal, usually very tight-lipped about what their Housemates are up to, even if it's Dark, and really nice. A good friend of mine, Alice Longbottom, was a Hufflepuff. Couldn't ask for a better friend for an outcast like myself."

If he noticed the curiosity on the Chosen One's face, he didn't let on, keeping his voice even. "Ravenclaw is for wit, intelligence, and usually studyholics. An old girlfriend of Sirius's, Sybil Trelawney, was a Ravenclaw. Pretty nice girl, a little strange, but…she and Sirius clicked together really well. They broke up because her older brother didn't like him."

"I wonder where she is now…" Sirius interjected, looking wistful.

Lupin rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Gryffindor is for the brave, daring, and reckless. Both of us were Gryffindors when we went here." The werewolf smiled gently. "And so were James and Lily."

Harry swallowed hard, looking down at his white trainers, taking a moment to compose himself. "I'll have to be Sorted?"

Lupin smiled, nodding. "Yep. It's not that bad. I remember when I was Sorted. I was scared stiff. I for one, unlike your Uncle Sirius and your dad, didn't think it would be cool to have a Hat poking around in my brain. I did have things in my life I didn't want Hogwarts to know about. But, it turned out actually pretty cool.

"We chatted, I told him not to go everywhere in my head, that I would like to keep some things under wraps, and the Hat agreed." He smiled, fond of the memory. "Anyway, Harry, it won't be as bad as you first think it will be."

Just as the teenage wizard was about to reply, the door of the Potions room swung open and in limped Severus Snape.

The Potions Master looked disheveled, robes rumpled, dried blood along the collar of his matching black shirt, and his black hair more messy then usual. Sirius was surprised and mildly disturbed, seeing his old very Slytherin foe like this. All the years that the Animagus knew him, he was very neat.

Snape, on the other hand, didn't look surprised to see the three wizards sitting in his classroom. Turning his attention to Lupin and ignoring the other two, he handed the other Half-Blood a folded piece of small paper. Lupin took it, puzzled as he opened it.

"Your password," the Slytherin Half-Blood indicated, dryly, folding his arms with a familiar set of his jaw. "Albus set it up for you," was his cryptic conclusion, which Sirius knew was nothing new for the Potions genius.

Remus creased his eyebrows together, shooting a look of pure puzzlement at the other two wizards sitting with him. "Uh, what?"

Snape sighed, seeming to lose some of his usual snipe that Sirius knew him so well for, for the first time in his life. Exhaustion was clearly written on his face and Sirius felt a brief pang of…something he really couldn't guess.

He pushed it to the side, studying the Potions Master from the corner of his eyes. Something must have happened between the time he visited with the Pure-Blood and when they got to his classroom. His senses then went to high-alert.

"Albus set up rooms for you by the teacher's quarters."

Sirius unconsciously rubbed his jaw, briefly wondering why Snape didn't have a decent-sized bruise, but then guessed it was Glamoured. Lupin nodded gratefully in Snape's direction, smiling as he stood up. He, unlike Sirius, didn't hold grudges long. He figured it wouldn't hurt to give the man some civilness and not treat him with cold disdain.

Sirius on the other hand, wasn't so sure about that.

"Thanks, Severus." Lupin managed to pick up all the bags that they had previously scattered on the floor, then glanced at Sirius and Harry. "I'll drop these off and be back." He paused, thoughtful, before turning to Sirius. "You, Sirius Orion Black, behave yourself."

Sirius rolled his eyes, not bothering to reply. What did Lupin think he would do? Tackle Snape to the ground or something? But come to think of it, that gave him an idea… Remus must have read what Sirius was thinking on his face because he scowled, shooting him a livid stare.

"_Sirius_…" he warned, staring at his old friend.

Sirius scowled back, folding his arms. "Don't go 'Sirius' me, Remus. You don't have anything to worry about."

Harry watched their bickering with interest as he set back, wondering what they exactly meant. It didn't take a genius to see things were tense between his godfathers and the man that was said to be a 'Slytherin git'.

He managed to shift in his seat casually enough to now see the bloke called Severus Snape fully; trying momentarily to ignore his two adopted uncles.

After a few short minutes of meaningless bicker that involved Sirius using every defending technique he knew of, Lupin saw that it was pointless to argue with Sirius, the most defensive person he ever met in his life, so he turned to Snape. "If he gives you any trouble, please tell me. I _try_ to keep him in line."

Snape nodded shortly. Lupin smiled again before walking out of the Potions dungeon and going on his way towards their new rooms.

Awkward silence stretched between the three wizards before Sirius broke it unexpectedly as he stood up.

"Snape, this is Harry," Sirius introduced, turning to his godson. "Harry, this is Snape. Severus Snape. But here, you have to call him Professor Snape to his face or he'll give you detention, I'm sure. The rest of the time you can just call him Snape or Snivellus, or if you really want to, _Sev_. I remember that he hates it." The dog Animagus shifted his gaze towards the Potions Master, grinning wickedly at Snape's annoyed glare.

"Anyway, I've gotta go. Lupin should be back in a minute. I need to go talk with Albus." Sirius walked around to Harry, giving him a quick hug, before turning towards his old schoolmate. He stepped closer, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Now," the Pure-Blood wizard began to the spy, lips curling into a sneer, "You better behave yourself, dude. I'm _very_ protective of my godson. And so is Remus, I might add. Best keep that in mind, Snape, if you value your _life_. And remember, Harry _isn't_ James, and most certainly isn't like Lily. Give him some slack, Snape."

He shot a pleasant look at both Harry and the scowling furious Snape before walking away from the duo and out the door. Closing it behind him, he then walked down the winding hallway, soft footsteps echoing.

He snickered to himself as he remembered Snape's look of disgust as he called had called him by the Muggle term of 'dude'. That had been _too_ hilarious for words. Oh, he'll have so much fun while he was here, making Snape's life as miserable as possible. Call it revenge for that Boil Curse, invented by the former Slytherin Prince himself, which he had received in sixth year. Nothing him and the rest of the Marauders had done to Severus was ever _that_ terrible.

They hadn't caused him to miss out on the rest of his sixth year, forcing him to redo it through the summer. But that had actually been a favor. Sirius hadn't gone back to _that house_ for one year, a blessing. After walking down the hallway and along several swinging staircases, he along with his thoughts of revenge reached the Headmaster's Gargoyle.

"Lemon Drops," Sirius said automatically, pushing his thoughts away and focusing on the task ahead, knowing he couldn't be distracted right Gargoyle swung open and Sirius found himself standing in another hallway.

Cautiously, he walked down the new hallway, dreading the confrontation he knew was coming. Albus was always fair, but the thirty-three-year-old didn't know how Dumbledore would react to everything he told him. And heck, this was the man who had falsely believed that they were criminals so long ago. That had been harder on Sirius than he ever wanted to admit. Albus had been like a father to him, and the betrayal still stung.

Reaching the correct door, Sirius paused just outside, gathering his wits. He needed to approach things smoothly, not get angry. He had had a problem with his temper most of his life. At times such as this one, he wished he had more control like Remus did.

Forcefully, Sirius rapped his knuckles on the door, waiting for the Headmaster's "come in" before pushing open the large door. It swung open, revealing Albus's office. His gaze swiftly swept over the room, noting the Phoenix, Fawkes, sitting calmly on the desk in the middle of the room.

The only thing that registered with the Pure-Blood besides Fawkes was the wizard sitting behind the large desk. Albus smiled gently at the nervous wizard, motioning to the seat in front of his desk. Sirius swallowed hard, urging his feet to move, and slowly walked up to the desk. He threw himself into the chair, and it creaked under his weight.

"Lemon drop, Sirius?" Albus asked, motioning to the small container of sweets on his desk. Sirius glanced at them, debating on if he really wanted to or not before he took a couple.

"Sure." Sirius plopped several into his mouth, chewing on them thoughtfully. He casually leaned back in his chair, cautiously studying his former Headmaster. When Albus found out the truth, what would happen?

Albus sighed tiredly, rubbing a hand across his face before looking at the former Gryffindor. "It's been twelve years, my boy." Though the older wizard's tone was at ease, Sirius could see raw pain in his blue eyes.

"Yep," he replied carefully, taking another couple of lemon drops, trying to pretend the sudden flare of guilt he was just starting to feel wasn't there. "It has, hasn't it?"

Albus leaned back into his chair, studying his past student with obvious interest. Besides the pointed aloofness in Sirius's body language and dark eyes, he could still see the same prankster he had taught so many years earlier.

"Will you tell me the truth, Sirius?" Dumbledore finally voiced, rising his eyes to Sirius's.

"Sure," Sirius replied, scowling darkly. "Where do you want me to start exactly, Albus? When we found out that it was Pettigrew that was the traitor? When we decided to take matters into our own hands? When we made the worst mistake of our lives? When we went back for Harry? Any of those where you want me to start?"

Albus sighed, adjusting his spectacles on the bridge of his nose. "The beginning please, Sirius."

xxx

He had to say that he hadn't been in very many awkward situations in his thirteen years, Harry admitted to himself. He stared half-heartedly at his hands, which were clasped together on the counter before him. Heck, living with his crazy uncles, you had to learn not to be awkward in front of people. Harry hated to admit it, but that was very hard to overcome sometimes.

It might have had to do with the fact that the young Potter had actually never seen another person besides his uncles and the mailman in his whole life.

Professor Snape had taken a seat across from him and judging by the way his hands were clutched tightly together, he seemed to be as uncomfortable as Harry was.

As he sat there, Harry let his mind wander back to what his godfather had said, _"And remember, Harry isn't James, and most certainly isn't like Lily. Give him some slack, Snape."_ What exactly did _that_ mean?

The only guess he had was that his father and Snape both went to school at the same time and hadn't liked each other. On the other hand, he still wasn't sure about that crack that had to do with his mother was about. Harry momentarily tossed his mother's name around in his name, trying to get used to it. Lily. What a beautiful name. He briefly wondered if his love of lilies came from her, then mentally set it aside to ask John, no wait, _Remus_, about later.

Pushing that thought away, he went back to that strange comment Sirius made about Lily. …_A__nd most certainly isn't like Lily…_what exactly did that mean? He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, confused.

Sliding his eyes ever so craftily and casually in the direction of Snape, Harry studied him with a keen eye. John, no, _Remus_, he had to remember that, had been teaching him how to paint and Harry had developed a keen eye for details. And as he studied Professor Severus Snape, he noticed the dried blood around his collar, the exhaustion in his suspicious eyes, the jagged teardown the fabric over his left arm, and the standard looks of his rumpled robes, Harry couldn't help but unexpectedly blurt out,

"You were in a fight, weren't you?"

xxx

Sirius grabbed a couple more lemon drops and plopped them into his mouth, more for his nerves then anything now. "It was Halloween night, and Remus was worrying himself sick. We both knew that neither of us was the Secret-Keeper, and that Pettigrew was. Both of us had been noticing how weird he had been acting, edgy and jumpy, and he had Moony more than vigilant. The way he had been acting for the past two weeks did have me concerned too but I thought he was just stressing about James and Lily like everyone else was.

"Lupin asked me to do some digging in the Minstery, pull in some favors. Just to ease him, I pulled in a couple people that owed me more than once and asked them to dig around for me, them having some connections I didn't. After a couple hours, one of my people, my cousin-in-law Ted Tonks, came back with some disturbing information. He had followed that back-stabbing rat for four hours and guess where he went?

"_Voldemort_," Sirius spat out, not waiting for Albus to answer, cold rage in his eyes. "Our supposed best friend went to the cruelest Dark Lord of all time, who I might add was hunting James and his family down. At the time, after Ted told me, I remember that I was more numb and doubtful than angry. I couldn't believe it. We were like family and then he went to Voldemort?" He paused, laughing humorlessly. "I couldn't, no, _wouldn't_ believe it. Then, I think it was then, that it finally dawned on me.

"Peter's strange moods, his bizarre fascination with the Dark Arts. Why when I caught him with a book about Dark Spells, he almost ripped my head off. His sudden withdrawing from us. Why he seemed to defend Bellatrix's every movement." He snorted, crossing his legs. "Heck, we all knew that she was a full supporter of Voldemort, we just couldn't prove anything because she didn't take the Mark until she was seventeen."

Sirius paused, dark eyes turning apologetic. "I wonder now if we hadn't been so wrapped up in ourselves we would have noticed and helped. If maybe things would have been different." He turned silent for several seconds, getting lost into the past, before shaking his head ruefullyand blinking furiously. He didn't need or want to go there today. Clearing his throat, he started again,

"But, oh well. Too late for regrets, right Albus?" Sirius asked, chuckling darkly. "Can't change the past." He licked his lips, wetting them, before continuing,

"I was furious. I don't like being betrayed, and I sure as Merlin don't like being double-crossed by my supposed best friend, either. I ordered Ted out before contacting Remmie. I told him what my cousin found out and told him he was right. I also told him to meet me at Pettigrew's apartment in an hour. Unfortunately for the traitor, he had made his home in a very Muggle infested area of London. I took my time getting there, fuming and planning how I was going to confront him.

"Moony and I reached his apartment the same time. Oh, I knew how stupid I was about to be, but right then I had only one thought in mind: making Pettigrew pay." He gave another humorless laugh. "I did, didn't I?" He sighed, stiffening in his chair. He still couldn't believe what he done all those years ago.

"I can't believe how…" He trailed off, obviously beating himself up inside. He had been so stupid, so young, and so angry back then. But he knew deep down that those weren't any excuses for what he had done.

He sighed, shoulders slumping, trying to gather to the strength to finish the story that he had promised Albus.

Yet, he still didn't know how the older wizard would react to what he was about to say, and he wanted to delay it as much as possible.

The Animagus swallowed, uncrossing his legs. Ever since he was a kid, he had to move when he was nervous, always full of anxious had never out grown out of it. He folded his hands together and stared at them like they were the most interesting things in the whole world. They were of right now,anyway.

"We knew that we couldn't confront him in his apartment. He would have some pretty strong wards up, so we decided that one of us would lure him out to the open, knowing that we could even things out if we weren't enclosed in his apartment.

"Moony said he would go, knowing that my temper usually got the best of me. And before you ask, Albus, we thought about the possibility that he had a couple Death Eaters with him in there. We decided that if Remus didn't come back in two minutes, I would follow. I know, not the smartest of plans, but all we cared about was making Pettigrew pay. I don't know exactly what went down when Moony went in there since we never got a chance to talk about it. And truthfully, it sort of slipped my mind since we've been raising Harry.

"Anyway, Lupin got the rat down to the street where I was patiently waiting for them. Oh yeah, he was surprised I was there waiting for him. For my credit when I saw him, I didn't jump on him. I was calm and controlled, knowing that if I got too furious at him, I'd probably do something I would regret. But I did eventually. I pulled my wand and point blankly asked why he sold out the Potters.

"Of course he denied it at first. He wasn't about to get caught. I told him we knew what he did and why didn't he come out and confess already. I admit it now that I taunted him to get what I wanted. And Moony was just as livid as I was, because when he saw what I was doing, he joined in.

"We hadn't been friends for ten years for us not to know how to push his buttons. And it paid off. After I brought up him being a bloody coward, he blurted out that he wasn't one because he worked for the Dark Lord.

"By then, I was itching for a fight with him. All my rage and frustration that had been slowly building up during our confrontation was reaching its boiling point. I demanded that he turn himself in to the Ministry, that what he was doing was stupid, and that he couldn't be in his right mind for working with Voldemort." Sirius stopped, throat feeling dry from all the use.

Albus seeing that, summoned a glass of water with his wand and handed it to his former student. The illegal Animagus nodded gratefully, drinking it all. Setting it on the Headmaster's desk, he began again, "As you can imagine, he didn't take that very well. He reached for his wand and started firing curses at both of us. Before we knew what was happening, Remus and I both had our wands out and were firing curses back at him. After Moony was hit in the leg and went down, I think I realized just how high the stakes had gone, seeing that Pettigrew was aiming to kill now."

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To be continued…please review. ^. ^


	5. Chapter Five

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**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone, anything or any place that is connected to _Harry_ _Potter_, in one way or another. I do own my plot however, I am pleased to announce.**

**A/N: Thanks to my overwhelmingly awesome beta, Miles333.**

**Summary – ****1 AU Sirius and Lupin ended up with baby Harry that night and ran. Years later, they're found and forced to go to Hogwarts. As they try to adjust to the wizarding world again, they must prove their innocence and keep Harry alive… No slash. **

**Thanks to: Miles333, freakofpotter, Angeena, and platapusfemale for all the incredible reviews. Thanks so very much guys. I really appreciate the feedback. :D**

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Here's the review response to platapusfemale:

**I'm glad that you like it. :D Thanks so much for the review. I really like hearing what you think. ;)**

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This chapter is for Angeena who wanted some Harry and Snape interaction. :^) Don't worry. You'll have a _lot_ more next chapter. :D

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Chapter Five

"Pettigrew realized that I knew what he had done, and I would be doing the same," Sirius continued. "He knew my Auror training would give me more of the advantage because the next thing I knew his wand was glowing with the killing curse.

"It was instinct. When he was firing it, I was firing another. I still don't know exactly how it happened and I haven't heard or seen anything like it, but both the curses hit each other full force. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground, and an ash-covered Moony was waking me up. From what he told me, when the two curses hit, both of them decided to explode."

The Marauder swallowed hard, clenching his fists together. He still couldn't believe that Pettigrew was dead, even after all this time. Even if he had deserved it, it still wasn't right. And the Muggles…

Oh, Merlin. He choked, closing his eyes.

After a minute of composing himself, his eyes flashed open, meeting Albus's concerned gaze. He forced himself to look away, the next words wavering from his mouth.

"I got away lucky, which I still don't understand. I had seven ribs broken and lots of scrapes and scratches. Lupin said that the apartment was destroyed and all the Muggles inside were killed. Pettigrew too. The only thing left was his finger." Sirius choked again, realizing that he was trembling with every word.

"Pettigrew got what he was heading straight towards, but oh Merlin, the Muggles. They were innocent. They shouldn't have been killed. We were only after Pettigrew." By this time, Sirius's trembling was worse and tears were silently making their way down his face. His eyes grew haunted, getting lost in the memory of that night. Albus stood swiftly from his chair before walking over to Sirius.

As the Headmaster reached out to comfort him, Sirius flinched away. He stood, eyes wild and furious.

"You don't have the right, Albus," he reminded him coldly. "You lost it when you convicted us for aiding Voldemort."

His voice dropped down a notch, becoming dark. "That's something that I won't ever forgive you for. Betrayal is something I really don't like. I've had enough of that in my life." His voice briefly held raw pain but it was gone swiftly.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius. But the evidence–" Albus began.

"The bloody _evidence_? Someone set us up to take the fall and that was Pettigrew," the Animagus wizard snarled dangerously, the only trace of his earlier vulnerability gone, replaced by anger.

"I thought you would see that. I, unlike the rest of the Blacks, don't serve the Dark Lord, which I might add, Albus; I wouldn't do it if it was between serving him and my life. And Lupin would rather die than be in a hundred feet from him."

Sirius slumped suddenly, losing his fire, and sinking into his chair. "Oh, Merlin, what have we done?" he moaned quietly, burying his face into his hands. Albus hesitated before he gently placed a comforting hand on the thirty-three-year-old, feeling the Black Pure-Blood tremble beneath his touch.

Suddenly, sobs overwhelmed the younger wizard and then he was crying silently into his hands. It had been slowly building up, with twelve years of running, along with the guilt and anguish of what had happened. It had finally caught up with him.

Albus kept his hand gently on Sirius's shoulder, looking at him with an expression of concern and guilt. Ever since the last day he had seen Sirius, angry and looking betrayed from the argument they had, he felt guilty, that if he hadn't fought with him, then he would have stayed and things would have worked out different. Somehow.

After several long moments, Sirius was able to finally compose himself again. Sniffling silently, he dropped his hands and wiped a hand across his face before pulling it through his hair, trying to gather himself together again.

"Thank you, Albus," he whispered softly, offing a wobbly smile in the direction of his mentor.

xxx

The Boy Who Lived blushed, jerking his gaze to his hands. He had a tendency of blurting out things without thinking. Something he picked up from Orion – no, _Sirius. _

He didn't expect Snape to answer, he actually would be happier if he didn't because things had just gotten more awkward. So he was more than taken aback when Severus jerked his head up, black eyes bitter.

"_What_?" was the frosty response from the Slytherin. Harry shifted in his seat, refusing to meet the Professor's steely gaze that he felt on him.

"Sorry," Harry quickly apologized, chewing deeply on his lower lip. He winced as his teeth bit hard enough to draw blood. "I have a problem with blurting things out without thinking about them." When he finally raised his eyes after a long moment of silence, he found Snape's intense gaze locked on him. He flinched slightly in his seat, looking away.

Then, slowly and softly, "You have Lily's eyes." Harry's eyes widened before he slowly looked up. Professor Snape must have known his mother at one point or another. He met Snape's gaze again but this time didn't flinch away.

"You knew my mum, sir?" Harry voiced quietly, voice cracking only slightly. He swallowed hard around the sudden lump in his throat.

Snape studied him for a long moment, either debating if he wanted to say more or wondering exactly what he should add, Harry wasn't too sure on which, but nodded suddenly.

"Yes, Lily and I were best friends until our fifth year," Snape finally explained curtly, obviously choosing his words cautiously.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir why?" Harry asked softly, cocking his head to the side. He wanted to hear anything and everything about the mysterious woman he couldn't remember. Even if it was told by the man who used to be her best friend and was reluctant to share details about the past.

"I made a mistake," Severus replied, visibly more hesitant about answering now. Harry guessed they had reached an awkward position in their talk by the way that Snape had curled his hands up into fists and was looking away from him now.

"A big one. I betrayed her by doing something and she hated me for it. Told me that she wasn't about to see me again until I figured some way out of my mess."

Harry could hear a lot of pain in the Head of House's voice and wondered if the Professor could hear it to. He doubted it because he probably wouldn't be talking if he did. He didn't know a lot about Severus Snape but he could guess that the man was one who rarely showed emotion. From what the young wizard saw, the man and his mum had been extremely close and it was hard to talk about her.

Harry studied the man in front of him with almost uneasiness. He couldn't put his finger on it but something about the man screamed dangerous: beware!

But, he had to admit, he wasn't afraid of him, he was just wary. But, it wasn't Snape personally that was making him cautious, it was his whole life. Both uncles had drilled it into his head: constant vigilance, your life may depend on it one day.

He had taken that to heart. And he wasn't about to stop now. Even if he was starting to slowly, and sort of maybe, warm up to the cold Professor.

"Thanks," the teen mumbled, abruptly, emerald gaze leaving Snape and going to his hands. "Thanks for talking to me about her."

xxx

After quite sometime of getting lost in several different hallways, Lupin found himself at his new quarters. He had never been to the teachers' quarters before and was amazed. He counted several doors before he reached theirs; each door was polished with a striking dark brown stain. The floor was stone, covered with a long wine colored rug. The wall was covered with portraits; his guess was that they were of former teachers.

He was thankful everyone seemed to be either asleep or not there. The werewolf couldn't bear having them pry. All the portraits had a tendency to be terribly nosy at times.

Each door had a gold number on it, starting with forty. He, however, was searching for fifty-six. After finding himself at the end of the hallway, he found himself face to face with a door that had the number pasted upon it. And a very familiar giant monster of a black dog waiting for him.

Lupin was shocked, before he broke out into a wide grin. "Hello, Fang." The dog stopped snarling, but didn't move away from the door.

"Gryffindor." Just as the word left his mouth, Fang gave a low whine then headed straight towards Lupin, huge tail wagging. The werewolf Halfblood only had time to toss his bags to the side before he was on the floor, having his breath knocked out of him by Fang. He could swear he heard a rib crack. He knew for sure that they were at least bruised.

Lupin grunted, gasping for air. "Can't…breathe…here…Fang. Get…off…me…" he panted, gasping under the huge weight on his chest. Fang just continued to wag his tail, before licking slobbers all acrossLupin's face.

"Gross…" Lupin choked out, pushing with all his weight against Fang. Finally, the dog took the hint, settling down on the floor beside the Half-Blood. Remus groaned, feeling his lungs try to desperately to grab in air. Merlin, that dog was _heavy_.

After a moment of gathering his breath, Lupin pulled himself to his feet, rubbing a palm gingerly across his ribs. Shaking his head, knowing his werewolfic healing would kick in swiftly for whatever injuries he might have gotten from Fang, he picked his bags up from the floor. Swinging them over his shoulders, he patted Fang again with a hand, amused now that he could breathe.

"Well, boy, it looks like Hagrid is running around here somewhere." Shaking his head again, he went over to the door, Fang at his heels, turning the gold-brass handle. It creaked loudly as it swung open, hitting the wall behind it.

As he stood in the doorway, Remus swept his gaze around his surroundings. He let out a low whistle, feeling a mixture of overwhelmed and impressed.

"My, Albus. You really outdid yourself this time," he muttered, walking slowly into the room.

xxx

"I have to ask, Sirius," Albus began, sensing the discomfort that was starting to wash over his student after his breakdown, settling back down into his chair. "Do you know about Lily's protection?"

The dark-haired man nodded, swallowing hard, glad that they quickly put his sobbing past them. That had been embarrassing. He hated expressing such emotion like that in public. Guessing what the Headmaster's cryptic question meant as he crossed his legs, reaching out and stroking Fawkes with a hand, who hadn't moved in all the time he had been there, obviously eavesdropping. "Actually, three years after we took Harry, Remus figured it out after one too many Death Eater attacks." He paused, raising a single eyebrow skillfully.

"Blood protection. Heck, I wouldn't have guessed that in a million years." He smiled ruefully, features softening as he talked about his old friend. "But that was just like Lils, using one of the oldest magics out there in order to protect her son from the Dark Lord." He paused, folding his hands together. "I take it you want to know how we kept Harry safe after that?"

After Albus nodded, Sirius continued, "Easy, I suppose. Lupin and I worked on an amulet that would imitate said blood protection. I had a droplet of Lily's blood." He paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I think I got it back in seventh year for something to do with Potions."

Shaking his head out of the past, he smiled then continued. "Anyway, it took us until Harry was four and several more Death Eater attacks along with him almost getting kidnapped and Lupin almost getting killed." He smirked wickedly at what he was about to say. "It always helped that my dear old father was a bloody Dark wizard and really wanted me to follow in his steps. He taught me every dark spell out there, even ones you probably haven't heard of. I didn't think I would ever actually appreciate the lessons until then."

The Headmaster creased his eyebrows together, frowning. "So Harry still has it?"

"Yep." Sirius took a couple lemon drops from Albus's desk bowl, just realizing that he was growing hungry. Glancing at the black watch he had firmly around his wrist he realized they had been there for a while and it had been eight hours since he last ate. Reminding himself to get something from the kitchen after he was done visiting with Albus, he dropped the candy into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before he continued,

"Later, when you've been properly introduced to each other, I'm sure if you ask him, he'll show it to you." He paused, rubbing his neatly trimmed bearded chin. "That reminds me, Albus, what are you going to do about your staff? I'm sure they're not going to be happy to see me and Remus."

Dumbledore bobbed his head once in agreement.

"Let me worry about that, Sirius. I'll warn them you're here under my direction and that they cannot breathe a word to the Minstery about you being here. However, I believe that it's best to lay low for a while." He suddenly smiled. "I have a question for you."

"What's up?" Sirius leaned back against his chair, running a hand tiredly down his face before dropping it limply onto his lap.

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts position needs to be filled permanently and I thought you and Mr. Lupin might be interested in it," Albus explained, studying Sirius with a knowing look that Sirius found familiar. He had been studied that way before, too much when he was younger and had gotten detention.

Then he realized what his former Headmaster just said and raised his eyebrows in total surprise. "Uh, _what_?"

Dumbledore nodded, lips lifting into a smile. "I'm offering you and Mr. Lupin a job, Sirius, as my Defense teachers."

Sirius stared dubiously at Albus, making sure the Headmaster wasn't joking. When he saw he wasn't, he finally voiced, "But…_us_?"

The older wizard chuckled. "Yes, _you_."

Sirius swallowed the sudden lump that had swiftly formed in his throat, not sure what to think. He hadn't been expecting to be offered a job when he talked to Albus, much less on a subject he was actually good at.

And…he felt abruptly light-headed. Albus didn't hate them. Everything was out in the open now. He didn't turn them into the Minstery. They had finally stopped running, and Harry would be safe. They had just been just offered jobs. They were going to start over. Suddenly, he laughed. "Things are going to be okay now aren't they, Albus?"

"Yes, Sirius, things are going to start to get better fairly quickly." Albus felt a pang of sympathy in his heart for the young man that had been his student, watching him finally relax after such a long hour. He was so happy that things had finally worked out, that they had gotten a chance to clear the air after so many years.

Silence stretched out between the two men as each pondered their own thoughts. Sirius couldn't believe that everything was going to be better. He wasn't stupid, he knew things weren't going to be better overnight, but still…things were finally working out after so many years. It was like a dream come true for him. They were finally home.

"So, why did you decide to hire us to become Defense teachers?" Sirius voiced after a moment.

Albus adjusted his glasses before replying. "I remember that both you and Mr. Lupin were skilled in that class when you went here. And I believe that with your Auror background, along with Remus's own Unspeakable background, you can teach them how to defend themselves more properly than the other two teachers that we've had in the past two years." His lips twitched up into a secret smile.

Sirius smiled too, quickly making up his mind. "Thanks, Albus. I'll talk with Remus but I think you've got yourself DADA teachers." He paused, considering something before asking, "What made you think that we would agree, anyways?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, blue eyes twinkling. "I knew that you would have liked to stay here with Harry if possible."

The Animagus wizard grinned. "Of course. Thanks again, Albus. For everything."

A comfortable silence stretched between the two men for a moment before Albus broke it.

"Have you taught Harry about anything to do with the things he'll need to know here?" the older wizard questioned, plopping a lemon drop into his mouth.

Sirius twisted his lips into a smile. "Actually, we used Potions as Chemistry. But,I think before school starts in September, Remus and I can teach him about Charms, brooming, magical creatures, spelling and DADA along with the terms that will come up such as Muggle, the Minstery, Aurors, etc. I know Lupin explained some of it to him but we'll give him more on them. The rest I think will have to be up to you and the rest of the staff."

Albus nodded, smiling. "We'll have him Sorted soon. Where exactly is Mr. Potter?"

The Animagus shrugged, shaking his head. "I have no idea. I left him to hang out with Snape and Lupin. Bonding time which I seriously think will consist of Snape scowling and sneering about bloody Potters, Lupin telling him off about not talking like that to our godson and Harry being confused." He frowned, pausing. "And now that I think about it, that probably was a mistake."

Albus chuckled, standing up. "I'm sure they're doing just fine. Don't worry yourself, Sirius." He paused, blue eyes twinkling merrily. "Harry needs to be out on his own a little. He probably would like to get away from his mother hen sometimes."

Sirius flushed, staring at his hands. "I don't mother hen him," he insisted, face still flushed. "Do I?"

The Hogwarts Headmaster chuckled again, standing up. Sirius followed suit, taking another handful of lemon drops and sticking them into his pockets for Lupin and Harry.

"You and Mr. Lupin are doing fine from what I've heard," Albus reassured the younger man, gently, putting out his hand. "It seems that Harry is under the best of care."

Sirius studied Dumbledore's offered hand for a moment, before shaking it slowly, giving the Headmaster a cautious smile. He hesitated, not sure how to put what he had on his mind into words.

"I believe you, Sirius," Albus said gently, seeing the hesitation on his former student's face. "I never doubted you or Mr. Lupin. But, with all the evidence against you…it was hard to prove your innocence. I and everyone else that knew what I thought just guessed it was longing of an old Headmaster.

"But, remember, Sirius, you did what you thought was right then and Harry seems to have experienced the best of care with you and Mr. Lupin. Also, let me do some investigating of my own. Something doesn't quite fit and I would like to see what exactly it is. Give me a few days,my boy, and let me see what I can find." He paused, giving his former student a pointed stare. "And I don't believe I have to remind you not to leave Hogwarts unless with a staff member?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know, Albus. I really don't want to be taken to Azkaban and Remus for sure agrees with me on that one."

Just as Dumbledore was about to reply, a gentle knocking was heard and the door behind Sirius opened.

There was sharp intake of breath and Albus smiled at the newcomer. Then,

"Sirius Black?"

Sirius spun swiftly on his heel and turned around, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Standing behind him, draped in black robes and wearing black high-heels was his former teacher.

The surprise quickly was gone and pleasure replaced it, a smile tugging gently at Sirius's lips. "Ah, Professor. Long time no see."

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Please review. :D


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer - The only thing I own right now is my plot. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**A/N - A huge, very gracious thanks to my admirable beta, Miles333.**

**Summary – 1 AU Sirius and Lupin ended up with baby Harry that night and ran. Years later, they're found and forced to go to Hogwarts. As they try to adjust to the wizarding world again, they must prove their innocence and keep Harry alive… No slash. **

**Also, thanks to: ****ForbiddenForest56**, **Angeena**, **suzanne, Miles333, Nymphadora Potter, Duckyumbrella, Mary Potter and 10****th**** Weasley for the absolutely brilliant reviews. You have no idea how much they mean to me. :D And thanks to everyone who alerted, favorited, or read this. Words can't even describe what warm, fuzzy feelings I have right now. :D**

**This chapter is for Angeena**** again, who I promised way more Snape and Harry interaction. :D**

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Chapter Six

"Sirius." Sirius felt the blood drain from his face and he felt a sense of déjà vu that he really couldn't describe. He was a little surprised at how calm the other Animagus seemed.

For a second he felt a small spark that maybe she actually believed his and Remus's semi-innocence, but then reality sunk in. No one believed their innocence except for Albus. The evidence against the pair of them was too great.

So McGonagall believing them? No way in all things Merlin.

Silence fell over Dumbledore's office. The teacher and current fugitive stared at one another.

Sirius wasn't sure who was more surprised, him or his former teacher. But he knew one thing for sure: if he didn't know better, Albus with his obvious lack of surprise about McGonagall's arrival had set them up for this meeting. From the corner of his eye, he could see the Headmaster's knowing little smile and a familiar twinkle in his blue eyes. Yep. They had been set up.

"Oh, Minerva. I forgot you were going to stop by today and discuss the Mr. Weasley's detention for when he comes back in September," Albus greeted her cheerfully, breaking the silence, his gentle gaze sliding back and forth between the two.

Shaking his head slightly, still feeling muddled but refusing to let it show, Sirius pulled up the emotionless façade he wore when he didn't want his emotions playing out across his face. Crossing his arms, he straightened, tension pulsing through his body.

"Professor," he granted, keeping his tone professional. Which was for sure bloody hard. He had always thought of the professor as more of a mother than one who bored him, and if he let those feelings up, his common sense would be destroyed when he needed a clear head the most. But it was just so hard to pretend that everything was okay and he hated to admit it, but it felt like he was losing control.

And control was really the only good thing he had in his life besides his godson and best mate, so he valued it far more then it could be possibly healthy.

So he pulled that stupid façade of a cold-hearted Pureblood wizard he wore when he couldn't bare to let people close or lose that control, like now, so he could think with his head and not his heart.

He knew the consequences of letting his emotions play a hand in what action he took; he had killed a former friend after all, and he would not allow himself to do something as stupid as that, ever again.

"It's been a while," Sirius continued after a moment, his voice calm, though his mind was spinning in so many different directions. "Apparently, Snivellus and Albus didn't share the fact that we were found today." He said this in an off-handed way, even though he knew his words weren't the least bit casual.

"Albus," McGonagall suddenly spoke, her voice soft, turning to face the Headmaster. One word. "Why?"

Sirius wasn't sure what the witch referred to; why didn't she get told? Why he was and not locked in Azkaban? Why, why, why? He had a good choice of things to pick from but he wasn't exactly in the mood for twenty questions so he just waited, knowing he probably would get his answer by Dumbledore's reply.

"I'm sorry, Minerva," the Headmaster replied gently, motioning at the seat that Sirius had previously been occupying for the teacher to take. Sirius briefly thought this was one of the best ideas he had heard today so he took a quick step backwards, a silent sign for McGonagall to pass.

She did, her robes swirling around her as she sank into the chair. For some reason, Sirius felt a small flare of guilt but he quickly pushed it away. That was one thing he didn't need right now. He had enough problems, and he wasn't about to add _guilt_ to them.

"Let me explain everything before you say anything," Albus began, adjusting his glasses. "We were wrong –"

Just as the words left the Headmaster's mouth, something struck Sirius. "Wait, sorry for interrupting but Albus, how in Merlin's name do you think we can teach DADA when me and Remus's faces are plastered across the whole world for the most wanted criminal wizards of all time?"

He pretended he didn't hear McGonagall's shape intake of breath, focusing instead on his former mentor. Oh Merlin, thinking about if Albus would be considered his mentor or former mentor now that they had reconnected, was making his brain hurt.

And probably the stress, mental and emotional exhaustion and being hungry didn't help his migraine. But hey, since he'd survived his parents' brutal abuse for most of his life, migraines seemed about as serious as a paper cut.

Sirius quickly decided he needed to ask Lupin about the whole mentor or un-mentor thing later. Swinging his attention back to Dumbledore, he realized all that thinking had only taken a few seconds. Dark Mark. This is what he got when his body was straining under the intense stress that he was currently under, his brain on hyper-drive.

"Actually, that reminds me, Sirius." Shooting a very sincere apologetic look at McGonagall, Dumbledore begin fishing through his many desk drawers. Hearing the phrases "I thought I put it in here" and "Huh, maybe it's in _here_", Sirius resisted the urge to tap his foot. He wasn't the most patient man, and for some reason he was feeling terribly restless. Maybe nerves.

Sirius licked his lips unconsciously, and briftly let himself tune out on Albus's random mutters and McGonagall's stony silence. He let thoughts of the two most important people in the world to him flood his mind.

Harry…how was the poor kid holding up? He'd been so…fragile-looking when he had left him with Lupin and Snape. How he wished that he could have stayed with him, but this had to be done.

And oh, Lupin. He knew the werewolf was trying to be strong, for both him and Harry, but hey, who would after the last twelve years?

Sirius wished with all his heart he could have stayed with them both, but he had to deal with Dumbledore. Maybe when, actually _if_, he ever got out of here and got some food, he would see if he could find those little donuts that Lupin and Harry both adored so much.

While these thoughts were running through Sirius's mind, Dumbledore apparently couldn't find what he was seeking because suddenly he straightened, frowning.

"I can't seem to find it," the Headmaster muttered, breaking Sirius from his thought. The Animagus wizard wondered who exactly he was talking to, himself or Sirius, before running the thought from his head.

If he tried to figure out half the things the Headmaster meant in his cryptic musings, he probably would be driven away from his remaining sanity.

"Find what?" he finally asked, impatient.

"Well, a good friend of mine gave me this spell." Dumbledore pushed his glasses up the ridge of his nose. "Quite a while ago, in case the Order ever needed to use it. But the need never aroused, and I slid it away for later. And now I can't seem to find what I did with it."

Barely able to contain his snort, Sirius grinned, amusement replacing his impatience. That was so like Dumbledore. He would probably lose his head if it wasn't attached. "Well, how about I send Lupin this way in the morning for it? I'll give you time to find it…" he paused for a moment, "…whatever it is." This last bit, he added to himself.

Dumbledore nodded, sensing that Sirius was near the end of his rope, clearly exhausted. "That sounds fine. I want to talk with him anyway."

Sirius yawned. "Of course." After shooting a quick look at the still silent and expressionless McGonagall, he turned back to Albus. "Well, now that we got all that covered, I'm beat and so hungry, my stomach wants to eat itself which I have to say, would be pretty gross. So I have to excuse myself from this chat and be on my merry way, which will hopefully be in the direction of some food."

Dumbledore bobbed his head again, smiling at the other wizard's humorous words. "Go rest, Sirius. You need it."

In reply, Sirius yawned again, blinking his dark eyes several times in an effort to look semi-coherent. "Yeah, sounds nice. Um, I'll send Lupin over tomorrow, all right?"

With that, he turned on his heel and walked towards the door he had entered through earlier. He briefly remembered all the times that James and him along with Pettigrew and Remus had come through the same door after one of their pranks had backfired and they'd all been caught. "The door to trouble" as James had called it.

No offence to the Headmaster or his former teacher, but Sirius was more then glad to get out of there and head in the direction of the four most important things ever. Remus, Harry, food, and sleep.

Pausing before he even reached the door, an afterthought coming to mind, the Animagus turned one last time towards Dumbledore and McGonagall. "Thank-you. Sir, ma'am." With those final words, he walked the final few feet to the door, it automatically swinging open for him, which was when he remembered that it swung open when a person was exiting and not entering.

He was about to step out when Albus's voice made him stop. _  
_

"Oh, and Sirius? Please don't go around punching all my teachers. I don't want them all covered in bruises. It would set a bad example for my students."

The Animagus snorted, rolling his eyes. "Fine, fine, Albus. Whatever. But only if they don't deserve it. But other than that, I'll try to play nice." He could have sworn he heard a couple of chuckles but he probably just imagined it.

"And by the way, Albus. You just didn't stumble onto us because we got sloppy. We were just tired of running," Sirius called out behind him as he left. The door swung shut behind him and he was left alone in a dark hallway.

He would never admit it to anyone, expect maybe Moony, but he hated that. This was the one thing he hated and feared the most. Being alone.

Sighing, he shook his head and started down the hallway.

xxx

Harry slowly glanced up at Snape, swallowing hard. He was surprised to see a look of torment across the older man's face. Instantly, Harry felt a pang of worry. Though he wasn't sure why he should feel concern for a man he hardly knew and one Sirius seemed to hate so much.

"Are you okay?" the teen asked softly, shifting his position on the hard stool.

Severus blinked then shook his head slightly. "I'm fine," he replied stiffly, all traces of any earlier vulnerability gone and replaced by utter coldness, and the teen had to wonder if he just imagined it all. Harry shivered again, his eyes adverting from Snape and down to his hands again.

Seeing that Snape wanted the subject changed and having a matter pressing on his mind strongly, Harry swallowed nervously before he asked, "Will you tell me about him?" His voice was so soft; he had to wonder if Snape could even hear him.

"Who?" the former Slytherin asked dryly. Harry could feel Snape's gaze on him and he fought to keep calm. He liked the man, but his intense gaze made him nervous.

"Him." The next words trembled out the teenager's mouth. "The man who killed my parents. Voldemort."

If Snape thought he knew what the teen was going to ask, it wasn't that. He arched a single brew in the direction of the adolescent, frowning. How could he reply to that? How could he tell a thirteen-year-old kid who just learned about magic today about the most ruthless and dangerous Dark Lord of all time, who just so happened to have killed his parents to boot?

He had to handle this gently, however unenthusiastic he was about the whole bloody problem. Lily would have never forgiven him if she had been alive today and he had messed this up.

And he would do anything for her, dead or alive, even if he hated James with a passion now. And even though he, Sirius, and Lupin were still at odds; he did feel some strange duty to help protect the teen as much as possible, even if he was almost the splitting image of his father…the only thing he was missing was the glasses. But, the Animagus could bet he had contacts.

What had James said? That all the Potter men for some unknown reason turned out with all the same looks every youngest male from every generation because of some strange thing to do with being related to Godric Gryffindor. Ah. Yes. That was it.

Snape jerked himself from the past with a mental shake of his head. That wouldn't help anyone if he went down that road. And besides, he had shut that chapter of his life up forever. Or…he hoped he had.

Swearing mentally, he realized he had taken too long to respond. He swung his gaze reluctantly to Harry and found the kid had his hands folded on top of the counter and his eyes resting on them. But Snape could tell from the tension in Harry's shoulders and the uneven breathing that he was on high alert.

Snape began again, his voice grim. "I'm not the best one to tell you a lot about him, but I can tell you that the Dark Lord is the most extremely powerful and dangerous wizard alive. People can't double-cross him without getting killed."

His voice became darker and by the way Harry had become rigid on his stool, he was feeling the dark emotion that seemed to be pulsing in Snape's every word. "He's merciless. He likes to punish people, thinks it's fun. Even his own followers, whom are called Death Eaters. He gets pleasure from watching others die."

After the Potions teacher's final dour words, the room immediately went silent. Neither wizard moved a muscle and it almost seemed that each man seemed to be daring the other to make the first move. Snape shook his head ever so slightly then turned away from the kid. He hated to admit it but he was starting to become…almost attached to Harry.

And he hated it.

Merlin. He hadn't been planning on giving him that much information. He had thought it would have been better if Sirius or Remus told him anything about Voldemort, but that'd gone out the window now. Studying the so-far-silent Harry with an observant eye, he could tell that what he'd said had unnerved Harry more than he was actually showing.

He himself would never again be that semi-innocent child Slytherin who didn't understand Voldemort's power. Just happy to be among his group of best friends, the only family he had ever considered to be his own.

And he still did. He would never claim his parents as his flesh and blood, and would be happy if no one knew any difference. His five friends were the only family he had back then. Now, the only two surviving ones had turned their backs on him.

But, it was for the better. Because if there was one thing he would do, it was protect them both from his past. It was the least he could do for them. The only thing he could do for them now.

Snape sighed silently then stood up, robes swirling with the movement_. _Without skipping a beat and to his own surprise, he placed a hand slightly on Harry's shoulder for a moment, a strange form of some sort of comfort that he wasn't exactly sure why he did.

Seconds later, the door opened and Snape jerked his hand back, both from reflex and not wanting to be caught trying to comfort the kid of the woman he loved and the man he now hated.

Straightening and not bothering to look at who was standing at the door, which he knew was Lupin without giving the other wizard his full attention, he strode from the room, pushing past the werewolf and disappearing down the hallway.

The Marauder stared for a moment at the retreating back of the Slytherin Head before shaking his head. That was strange. He stepped through the doorway and closed it tightly behind him.

Lupin stared for a moment at the closed door before shaking his head again. That was really odd, and Snape and odd in the same statement was strange itself. Turning to his godson, who was staring at him with a weird expression on his face, he raised his eyebrows pointedly. "What in Merlin's name was that about?"

Harry took a moment to reply, silently debating on what exactly he should say about his and Snape's little chat as he put the term "Merlin's name" in the back of his head to ask Lupin about later. He knew that it was mostly Sirius that had ill feelings for Snape, but Lupin did too, and he really didn't what a bigger rift to form, especially since he hoped to get to know the older man more.

From what he had seen of the teacher, he was terribly lonely and there was a kindred sprit of sorts inside him. Harry could tell that Snape was obviously an outcast among his people; he had seen that just by spending a few moments with him, and Harry was for sure one himself.

"We just chatted," the thirteen-year-old replied finally. Looking down at his hands, he heard Lupin approach him and he waited to hear the slight sound of Lupin sitting down onto the stool before he continued.

"You know, he told me some about…Voldemort." Silence followed his statement and Harry couldn't help but shoot a look from beneath his lashes at his adopted uncle.

A look of surprise was scrawled across his face and Harry instantaneously realized that Lupin was surprised because he hadn't thought Snape would tell him anything at all. The teen arched an eyebrow, pressing his lips together in a tight line as he turned to face him.

"You're surprised?"

Lupin shook his head as if clearing it before nodding ever so little. "Yeah, I guess I am." He brushed a piece of brown hair from his face, and for the first time, Harry noticed the look of exhaustion in his dark eyes.

"Why?" Harry questioned bluntly.

His godfather sighed, looking pained, and Harry knew he had hit a nerve with the question. Big time. But the question was…why?

"Let's put it this way, Harry…Severus has–" He trailed off, looking flustered. "To leave it right now, Snape has always had a sort of a questionable behavior since he was sixteen. I don't want to go into it right now; Sirius should be here to help me explain about Snape, so let's just drop it."

Harry nodded, seeing the reluctance, knowing when it was best not to push. But, he couldn't help wondering, what did Lupin know that pained him that much to talk about?

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**And that's only the beginning…-laughs evilly- I have a lot planned for them…very soon. :P Also, you should see what I have intended. –Laughs evilly again- **

**Please review. Please? **

**Did anyone notice the several little clues I had in there? If you did, please name what they are…and I might tell you if you're right…They're very important…but that's all I can say. ****–smiles mysteriously- **

**Also, a bite of Snape fun: If you rearrange Severus Snape it becomes: Pursues a Evens. **

**And for a bit of shameless self-promotion, I have three HP one-shots that haven't got much love and I think people would like them, if they gave them the chance. :sob:**

**On another hand, if you want to see anything in this story, just tell me and I'll see what I can do. :D**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own the wonderful people, terms, things and animals that connect to Hogwarts. I just own my plot here.**

**A/N: A super huge thanks to my beta, awesome beyond belief, Miles333****.**

**Summary: 1 AU Sirius and Lupin ended up with baby Harry that night and ran. Years later, they're found and forced to go to Hogwarts. As they try to adjust to the wizarding world again, they must prove their innocence and keep Harry alive… No slash. **

**Thanks to: 10****th**** Weasley, H.L.K. Masters, RedRangerBelt, Miles333, and Cinnamon Selkie for the phenomenal reviews and I can't even begin to say how happy I am with all the feedback. :D **

**So sorry for the terribly long delay and I have a list of excuses…lol Anyway, hopefully this makes it up.**

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Chapter Seven

"So, where's O-Sirius?" Harry asked, changing the subject since he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere else with his uncle about Severus Snape. When Lupin wasn't in the mood to talk, he didn't budge, much like Sirius in that way.

The older man shrugged as he stood up, tiredly rubbing his neck with one a hand. "No idea, and that's what's got me worried. Last I heard he was going to talk with the Headmaster. But…" He glanced at his watch, frowning. "It shouldn't have taken this long." A brief glimpse of worry flashed across his face.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Harry offered, knowing how worried Lupin was. The men had always shared an extremely strong bond, and having lived with them most his life he knew that one could easily flip out if the other one lost contact for a while.

Lupin breathed a long sigh, as if attempting to convince himself that Harry was. He stood up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you're right."

Harry then followed Lupin's example, standing up. "When will I get to meet the Headmaster, anyway?" He hoped he sounded as positive about it as his words were meant to be. He was actually far from optimistic about being a student at the school, and meeting the Headmaster would really confirm that that he was going to. He felt more along the lines of being terrified to pieces, but he needed to put on a brave face for Lupin.

Remus gave the smallest of smiles. "Soon, I'm sure."

Harry shifted his weight between feet, thinking. "How about this? You take me to our new rooms and if Uncle Sirius isn't back by then, we'll look for him."

On impulse, Remus gave Harry a quick hug, his mood instantly brightening. "Sounds nice." It was odd, Lupin with his usually clear head, being so much muddled without Sirius.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Harry announced, motioning for Lupin to take the lead. Remus squeezed Harry on the shoulder, giving him a fond smile. Dropping his hand, he strode the remaining feet to the door. With a sharp twist of his wrist, the door clicked and opened.

For a panicked moment, Harry felt his muscles tense. The next moment seemed like the longest in history. He forgot how to breathe, fighting against rising panic. He didn't think he could do this. Everything…everything that happened to him in the last few hours. He couldn't do this. Even though he knew magic existed now…when he walked through that door, he would truly be admitting that magic was real.

Then the teen caught sight of Lupin's face and saw his godfather's smile. He instantly felt calmer, his head clearer. He could do this. Lupin was here. They would find Sirius and everything would be okay. Or…close to it, anyway.

His legs then relaxed and he found himself moving to Lupin's side. While his other adopted uncle was the protector, the one that when Harry was younger checked out the bed for monsters, the one who had taught Harry to fight, drilled in the lesson of: Paranoia is better than being dead, so trust your gut.

Lupin, on the other hand, had been the comforter, the one that would hold a young Harry after he had a bad dream, the one who made him Catnip tea for his insomnia and the one who stayed up until Harry managed to get to sleep again.

Offering a meek smile in return, Harry nodded his head, a motion for Lupin to start walking before trailing behind him.

The door swung closed with a muted thud.

xxx

Sirius had just decided that he was lost, that maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to look for the kitchens when he hadn't actually been inside this place for quite some time. Just as this thought occurred to him, Snape appeared, out of seemingly nowhere, black robes fluttering. Batman, Sirius decided to himself about the former Slytherin, not for the first time either, thinning his eyes at Snape.

"What now?" he demanded, sharply, not in the mood for the head of the Slytherin House. He was starving and exhausted and both of those combined made him easily annoyed. And it was Snape he was talking to, so that didn't exactly help his mood.

Snape pressed his lips together in a thin line, obviously debating if whatever he was going to say was worth suffering Sirius's sharp tongue. "Harry asked me about Voldemort."

"Oh, Merlin," he groaned, pressing a hand on his forehead. "What did you tell him, Severus?"

"I told him that Voldemort is cruel and merciless, and that he loves to watch people suffer." He paused, drawing the suspense out for Sirius. "But, that's all. I think he'll need to hear the rest from you and Lupin."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but thanks, Sev. I owe you one."

He hated to admit it, but he did owe the former Slytherin now and what was he thinking, calling Snape by that nickname he had gone by as a kid? Bloody slip of the tongue. Snape nodded silently, expression blank, dark eyes not betraying any of his emotions, before turning away.

Before he got far, the Half-Blood paused, and then turned back around to face the Black heir, like he had remembered an afterthought

"Harry's a good kid, Sirius. You did a…good job raising him. And you were right."

"About what?" Sirius asked, suspiciously, raising his eyebrows. This he had to hear.

"Harry is nothing like James." And with those last words, the Potions Master was gone, sweeping away in his black robes, and down the hallway. Sirius watched the former Slytherin go, confused. What had that been about?

He shook his head, pushing the strange encounter out of his mind for the moment. He would talk to Lupin about it later. That was all he could do at the time.

But he couldn't help wondering, why in Merlin's name did Snape say what he had, about them doing a good job raising Harry and that he was nothing like James since last time he checked the other man had hated him, Remus, and James, and couldn't have cared less about Harry…was there more going on here than he knew?

xxx

___Fifty-three minutes._

The time laid heavily on Lupin's mind.

He wasn't going to pry. He wasn't going to use their bond to check in on him. Sirius would tell him he was overreacting, and he wasn't in the mood for him to tell him that…even if he was probably true.

"Fairies?"

Harry's question drew Lupin out of his brooding, and he shook his head. Focus. "Yeah."

They were lying on Lupin's new bed, and Harry was asking him about creatures. Think Merlin he hadn't thought of werewolves as of yet. Lupin wasn't ready to answer that one.

"Bigfoot?"

Lupin silently sighed, shaking his head again. "Not here. America is filled with them, though."

"Vampires?"

He tensed but answered, keeping his eyes firmly on the ceiling. "Yep."

Harry said something like "cool" or something but Remus's mind had wandered. Merlin. Where was Sirius? And the werewolf question was coming and…Merlin. He had never been this high-strung before. Not ever.

Everything was catching up and his nerves were strung tight.

"Pixies?"

Lupin blinked, and it took him a second to zero on what Harry said. Pixies. Yeah.

"Uh-huh. About annoying as a drunk Sirius."

Harry chortled and Remus couldn't help but smile a little. It was like a chain reaction. Harry was just the kind of kid that when he was happy, the whole room was. Or maybe it was that fact that Remus was his godfather and thought of Harry as a son and was happy when Harry was.

"Harpies?"

"Nope."

"Mermaids?"

"Ugly as sin." Lupin paused. "Or ugly as Sirius was in fifth year after a 'little' transforming 'incident' which he totally deserved." Harry had a pretty good guess that whatever Sirius had obviously done, he deserved what he had gotten.

"Oi! Who ya calling ugly, mutt?" Both Remus and Harry startled at the unexpected words. Sirius was leaning in the doorframe, looking tired but rather amused.

"Wow, Sirius. Name-calling. That's low," Remus teased, his spirits brightening as he saw his best friend. Harry noted this and couldn't help wonder if their bond ran deeper then he knew. Not like romantically or anything like that but…they were almost closer than brothers.

Sirius didn't bother to reply, just rolled his eyes and ambled into Lupin's bedroom, smirking. "I won't bother to reply to that." Remus caught Sirius's eyes and then, Sirius's voice echoed through his head.

_'__I'll tell you later.'_

Remus nodded his understanding.

"Now, blokes, let's celebrate a birthday," Sirius announced cheerfully, and Remus knew probably not any other could see that it was façade…that Sirius was scared and confused and troubled inside and in a second, even those emotions were gone and Remus was on the outside. It worried him the way that Sirius could switch back and forth…from vulnerable to cheerful in a matter of seconds.

Something was really wrong.

___xxx_

_Journal,_

_Feels just like yesterday._

_Honestly. And it's been thirteen years. Merlin. I feel so old. Pushing thirty-two now. Middle aged, I guess. Never thought I would make it this far…much less to say twenty._

_I wonder what he's doing now. I wish I didn't have to leave things the way I did when I left. He's probably never forgiven me and I don't blame him. I wonder if the old man ever told him the truth. About what M. and I did. Probably not. Would be too dangerous._

_I'm thinking about…Merlin. Best not to write it here. I have enough problems and I can barely think of what would happen if someone outside of M. found this. _

_Anyway, M. is telling me to hurry up. Better go before she gets annoyed. Thank Merlin you're just a book and you haven't see her angry._

_Signing out,_

_ABR_

With that, the man closed the faded brown book and stood up.

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**Please tell me what you think by reviewing. :D**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I don't own**_** Harry Potter. **_

**A/N: Thanks to Jenny for the beta. :)**

**Also, special thanks to my wonderful reviewers. :D**

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Chapter Eight

Sirius stared up at the ceiling, chewing his lip and worrying.

It had been about five hours since Harry's birthday party and Sirius had been lying on his bed, trying but failing to sleep, for three of them.

It had been fun and Harry had actually enjoyed himself.

They had given him an old spellbook of James', and a black raven pendent of Lily's and then they had given him the Mauraders' Map, which James, Pettigrew, Remus and Sirius had made in their fifth year of school.

It could show where everybody and anybody was in the castle and Sirius had a hutch, which he didn't voice, that it could easily come in handy sooner than later.

Then Sirius had given something to both his godson and Remus.

It had been a hand mirror which would connect to the others no matter what. Neither Lupin or Sirius voiced it, but both had thought this had been an excellent time to have something like that.

After Harry had gone to bed, Sirius then told Remus about their new job offers and what had happened when he met with the Headmaster. Lupin had taken it all fairly well.

Maybe too well.

Sirius rubbed a hand tiredly across his face, sighing. The almost aloof way Lupin had taken all this was worrying him.

And that brought him to Harry.

His godson's reaction to all this was making him worried as well. Harry was almost…casual about it.

Merlin. This was not helping him sleep in the slightest.

Forcing these troubling thoughts from his mind, he focused on Harry's future Sorting.

Where would he go?

He knew for a fact Slytherin was out of the possibilities. Harry for sure wasn't cunning, cruel and secretive. And Hufflepuff...that was a maybe.

Ravenclaw was out; he knew that like the back of his own hand.

That left Gryffindor. Ironic that Harry would end up in Gryffindor and he was the last known heir of Godric's bloodline. He smiled sleepily to himself, closing his eyes. He knew if Harry would fit in anywhere, it would Gryffindor. He would bet his Animagus form on it.

_xxx_

_"You ruined your only chance to go with him," his father snarled, rough hand clenching his shoulder so hard, he wanted to cry out, the rest of his body radiating with an untold amount of pain . But he couldn't,_ wouldn't,_ cry out. He clenched his teeth so hard, he thought one of his teeth would break. But, he knew that if he let up, he would cry out in from the unending pain and he couldn't do that. He couldn't show weakness._

_"You ungrateful little monster," his mother shrieked at him angrily, dark eyes feral and enraged as she stared down at him. "You destroyed our only chances to be with him. Don't you see that?" And then she was closer to him, palm striking his face. He clenched his teeth even harder, praying to anyone listening, not to let his younger brother come in. _

_"You selfish little brat!" Her palm hit him again, and again, and again. He felt each blow sting less than last time. He could see that her hand was already covered with his dark blood, probably from the hit he taken from his father earlier and he wondered why he didn't know his face was bleeding before then._

Sirius jerked up with a start, sweat covering his body and soaking his sheets. Panting, he instantly rubbed a hand on his cheek. Shaking his head, trying to clear it, he dropped it back to his lap, using it to push away the sweaty bedding. Sighing, he pulled his legs to his bare chest and placed his face tiredly in his hands, realizing he was trembling.

Why did he have to dream about that tonight of all nights? He hadn't thought about his family in a long time and he was happy to keep it like that. Why was he dreaming now? And why here? He had always considered the school a safe heaven. He didn't have to see his family and they didn't have to see him. A perfect plan for both parties involved.

Moaning to himself, Sirius dropped one of his hands and lifted his face, scratching his chin offhandedly. He really didn't need to go down that road now. It was history and it needed to stay in the past.

Sighing, Sirius stretched then laid down back into the covers, closing his eyes. Well, even if he doubted he would get back to sleep, he could at least lay there for a bit until one of the others woke up.

How could they prove their semi-innocence when almost everyone in the magic world didn't believe in them? How could they prove that Pettigrew did what he did when he was dead and he was the only one who could back up their claims? And how could they prove that they were legally the guardians of Harry and that they didn't kidnap him?

As he wondered the questions silently, it was then that he heard the scream.

Sirius's eyes flew open and in a blink of an eye, he was out of bed and at his door. He fumbled with the knob for a moment before he was out and standing in his godson's room. The first thing that caught his attention was a disheveled Remus coming out from his door across from his own room. The next thing that got his attention was the window's drapes.

They were flying wildly and for a moment, Sirius wondered if he was about to get hit the face with one. His gaze than caught Harry's bags…which were levitating in the air and were crashing wildly through the air.

And one was about to hit him in the face.

Sirius dodged, barely getting down in time before the beg hit. Hitting the wall behind him, it dropped and landed with a thud on the floor.

Well, damn.

_xxx_

What returned Remus to awareness was his left arm growing increasingly numb. He winced, trying to shift it without opening his eyes too much but couldn't. Heavy weight was on top of it and he couldn't manage to get it out.

The werewolf moaned softly to himself and opened his eyes, curious to know what was holding his arm. Nothing should be anyway. He found himself mildly disoriented as he found himself staring up at a white ceiling. This wasn't right…his ceiling was…oh, that's right. He was at Hogwarts and their ceilings were white instead of peach in their bedrooms.

Shaking his head to clear it a little, he wearily turned his face to his left and was surprised to see a messy-haired teen sleeping next to him. Frowning, Lupin tried to recall why exactly his godson was currently asleep on his arm.

Ah. Last night.

They had drifted off to sleep around about two o'clock this morning; Harry had a nightmare and woke them up with a scream. His magic causing chaos through the rooms. That was it. They had comforted him the best they could do and eventually, him and Sirius fell asleep with Harry.

Yawning, he gently managed to pull his arm from under the younger wizard, who just muttered something under his breath and rolled over. Flexing it slightly, he tried to get feeling back into the numb limb.

As he did that, his gaze traveled to the far side of the bed and landed on Sirius who wa buried deeply in the blankets, motionless. Remus chuckled silently, shaking his head. His old friend was a sound sleeper, not waking for anything.

Lupin shook his head again, amused.

Smiling, Remus yawned again then set up carefully, hopefully not disturbing the other two. He swung his legs to the floor then pushed away the blankets. Standing up, he carefully moved them back, before spearing a quick look back at the two sleeping men.

The werewolf smiled again before quietly sneaking to the door, making sure any squeaky floorboards didn't betray him. He didn't want to wake the two, both exhausted and whatever sleep Harry got was precious because of his insomnia.

Harry had suffered from it all his life and it only got worse with age. That was why most nights he either took sleeping pills that Lupin had gotten him when he was old enough or Catnip tea, a perfect remedy, Remus found out while he was still in school, for insomnia.

Remus bit gently down on his lower lip, grimacing. He had suffered from insomnia himself when he was at Hogwarts. It had started when he had found out about his twin brother's death at only fourteen.

It nearly killed Remus too; having his baby brother dying by the hands of Sirius's cousin Bellatrix who was only sixteen herself, was almost too much for him. It had been a dark time for all the members of the Lupin family and he would rather not recall it if helped.

Shaking his head ruefully, Lupin opened the door as quietly as humanly possible. He slipped out, closing with a soft thud behind him. He found himself once again in his bedroom. The stone felt cold and hard beneath his feet which made the werewolf wonder if he knew where his slippers were.

Deciding he didn't know and he could look for them later after he talked with Albus, Lupin stripped his nightshirt, the fabric rustling his hair even more. He dropped it to the floor, figuring he would have time to sort things out later that day.

Yawning, he stretched before walking over to his wardrobe. Staring at it for a moment, the Marauder decided he probably would never get used to living here again.

He stared at it for another minute before shaking his head and walking over to it. Opening the large gold clasp, the doors creaked before they swung open. Facing him were several rows of neatly hung up clothing.

He looked through them for a couple of minutes before randomly selecting a pair of jeans and a black belt. He dropped them to the floor before searching for a shirt. Humming an old song he knew under his breath, Lupin pulled out a rumpled white shirt. He stared at it for a moment before his lips twitching into a slight lopsided smile.

"Well, now. Sirius was looking for you to wear for Harry's birthday yesterday," he told the shirt seriously, eyes sparkling with amusement. "But, I told him white wasn't really his color." Shaking his head, he pulled it on with a deep sigh becoming serious once again. _The stress must be finally getting to me if I'm having a conversation with a shirt. Or all those years living with Sirius Orion Black has finally turned me mad. I'm actually leaning towards the latter though._

Remus yawned again, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't need go there, testing his sanity. He hated to admit it, but if he did test his sanity, he probably wouldn't like the results.

Lupin walked over to his dresser, footsteps surprisingly quiet against the floor. He opened the top drawer, before raffling through several pieces of clothing. Finally, his hand connected with his deodorant. He pulled it out. As he was about to close the drawer, a flash of gold caught his eye and he paused, features softening.

Using his free hand, Lupin picked up the gold brass frame, his grip tightening around it. It was a faded gray picture of six smiling, laughing teenagers in front of Hogwarts.

After using it his deodorant and putting it back, Lupin traced a finger along the outline of each face, sadness coating his features. His eyes flickered back and forth between the laughing faces, remembering when the day the picture had been taken so many years ago. Just him, Sirius, Lily, James and them. But how could two of the people he had relayed on for about five years betray him and the others?

One had been, possibly still was, a Death Eater and the other one had been one before he had sold out the Potter family and had gotten accidentally killed.

Swallowing hard around a sudden lump that had formed in his throat, Lupin placed the photo back into the drawer and slammed it closed with a thud that seemed to echo through the room. The past shouldn't ever be brought up. For sure, his and Sirius's. If Harry ever found out exactly what his godfathers were trying to hide…the werewolf swallowed hard, pushing the thought from his head.

Quickly finishing getting dressed, Remus snuck out of his room, his feet still bare. After quietly sneaking down the hallway, desperately trying to hide from any portraits or teachers lurking, Remus took a sharp turn. After taking a quick detour to the bathroom, the former Gryffindor started on his way to Albus's office.

Abruptly, he felt a strong wave of uneasiness, forcing him to stop. His heart slammed heavily against his ribcage and sweat formed along his brew. Taking deep breaths, he forced himself to calm down the best he could. What was wrong with him? Why was he so uneasy today?

Come on, Lupin. He urged himself wordlessly, shaking his head in a desperate attempt to clear it. Snap out of it. Taking a breath, the werewolf steadied himself the best that he could, before forcing himself to move.

Cool it, Lupin. He scolded himself mentally as he continued on. Everything was going to be fine.

He didn't know how wrong he was.

_xxx_

"So, let me get this straight," Sirius mumbled though a mouthful of muffin. "You and Albus got together and talked and he's found some spell that supposedly will make us somebody else. And we have to come up with a background for ourselves and he... now, I don't understand this, wants dear old Snivellus to know about us and I won't list it all but you do know this isn't going to work, right?"

Remus stared at him, amused before he quietly said, "You know I can't understand a word you just said."

Sirius made a disgruntled sound before finishing chewing. After swallowing he said, "Hm…yeah…whatever."

They were sitting on the floor in Sirius's room, eating breakfast together as Harry slept curled up in blankets on the bed.

Remus just smiled a bit as he took a bite of an orange. "Shhhh….don't wake up Harry." Before Sirius could say something, Remus continued in the same low voice. "And besides, I trust Dumbledore." Sort of. "And he knows what he's doing." Maybe.

Sirius snickered as he picked up on Lupin's thoughts.

"Out of my head, mutt," Remus said with a playful shove. Sirius fell backwards, rolling away at the last moment before he hit his plate of food.

Lupin snorted at his friend's attics before reaching over and taking Sirius's last muffin from his plate. Out of habit, he broke it in two and placed one piece back.

"So, one of things that Albus and I talked about was that it's probably time to go and pick up some stuff before the students start coming."

Sirius made a disgusted look as, in a mixture of revenge for Remus taking apart of his muffin and just wanting some, he reached over and took a couple of grapes off Remus's plate. "Already?"

"Uh-huh," Remus confirmed around a mouthful of muffin. Though generally more on the side of manners than his best mate, Remus had picked up on a few of Sirius's bad habits. "Also, you probably shouldn't go with us."

"Wait, what?" Sirius asked, sharply. "Why the hell not?" His voice was an odd mixture of annoyance and panic. One, he couldn't go and check out the sights, two, that he couldn't help Harry pick his robes and everything out, and three, for the last twelve years, for the most part, he went wherever Remus and Harry did.

"Padfoot, do you remember fifth year and a certain yellow jacket?" Remus patiently asked. The incident he referred to was when the Marauders had decided it would be a fine night to sneak out and Sirius had decided to wear a bright yellow jacket, claiming it looked just beautiful on him. It had ended up getting them all caught.

Sirius gave a pained look at this. "What's your point?"

Remus sighed fondly. "My point that you draw attention to yourself. Even when you don't mean it, it happens. And besides, McGonagall is going to go with us."

If that was supposed to calm Sirius's nerves, it didn't. "Well, she _isn't_ me," he said, biting at his thumbnail. A nervous habit of years.

"Well, that's good to know," Remus said, dryly before instantly becoming serious. He briefly touched Sirius's hand. "Hey, we're be fine. We have the bond."

Sirius's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I know. But I would prefer if I was there with you."

About this time, a disheveled looking Harry sits up in bed, pushing some of the blankets back. "Hey, guys," he mumbled, his voice filled with sleep.

"Morning," Remus said. Under his cheerful tone was a deep concern for Sirius. Remus was tempted to use the bond to see what was going on in his old friend's head but decided against it. It would be better to talk to him, one on one.

Harry up from the bed, his hair tousled in such a way that instantly reminded Sirius and Remus of James.

Walking over to where his two godfathers were sitting, he set down beside them, tucking his bare feet under him. He plucked Sirius's last muffin from his plate. Remus watched on, amused.

"Looks like you and Remus are going shopping today," Sirius says, with a forced cheerfulness that only Remus caught.

Harry choked on his muffin. "Wait, what?"

Remus nodded, reaching over and ruffling Harry's hair. "Yep. Professor McGonagall and us are going to head out and get some new stuff today. Get you ready for when classes start." He paused thoughtfully. "That reminds me, Albus said that he wanted to start figuring out how much you know so you can start learning some stuff."

"But, I don't know anything yet," Harry said, voice coming out a bit higher than it should. His eyes were wide.

Sirius laughed a little at this. "Sure, you do, kid. We've taught you some over the years."

Harry opened his mouth to reply but a knock interrupted him. Sirius raised an eyebrow at the sudden sheepish expression on Remus' face.

"I think I forgot to tell you that Snape was going to stop by," he offered.

Sirius scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. A look of pure disgust was in his eyes. "I'm not going to get that."

Harry shrugged. He wasn't going to get in the middle of whatever was going on between his godfathers and Professor Snape.

Remus sighed as he stood up. "Fine, fine." Though he didn't hate Snape as much as Sirius, he still wasn't very fond of the man.

He opened the door to find Snape, waiting not very patiently on the other side. He thought the expression on Snape's face pretty much summed his own up.

"Here." With those words, Remus found in his hands three small bottles and a piece of parchment.

He blinked. "Thanks, Severus."

For the just the smallest of seconds, he saw something flicker in Snape's dark eyes. Than it was gone and the Potions Master was sweeping away in his black robes.

Huh. How odd.

Shrugging, Remus shut the door behind him before going back to where Sirius and Harry were still at. He found them in a deep discussion about which was better: a blueberry muffin or an apple cinnamon.

Personally, Remus liked the chocolate ones but he wasn't about to get into that with them.

"So," he interrupted, sitting back down his former spot. "Looks like Albus found the potion."

Sirius wryly glanced at the three bottles. "Snivellus better not have done something fishy to those."

Harry looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant but knowing better to ask now.

Remus rolled his eyes but otherwise didn't comment. Sometimes, he just didn't know about Sirius.

Spying the parchment that Snape had given Remus, Sirius snatched it from his hands, resulting in an "oi!" from Remus.

Ignoring him, Sirius skimmed over it. "It's from Albus...blah, blah...yep, it's the potion...blah, blah, bla-oh, it's supposed to stay until the counter potion is taken...huh...okay...well, that's all that's important," he said brightly, throwing it back at Remus.

Taking one of the bottles, Sirius studied it with interest. "Well, bottoms up." Without waiting for a word from Remus or Harry, he popped the top of it and drinks it in one gulp.

Cringing at the bitter taste, he wrinkled his nose. "Well, that was fun. So, what do I look like?" Harry was staring at him with open amazement while Remus' features were blank.

"You look the same to me," Remus admitted the that Harry blurted, "Very different."

All three look at each other.

"Well, that's different," Sirius said with a shrug. "I don't know why you see me different, Harry, and Remus can't."

By this time, Remus was looking over the letter himself. Suddenly, he laughed. Pointing a finger at the paper, he said, "Right here. It says that we'll be able to see each other the same because of our bond. It also says that we'll see ourselves the same in mirrors."

Sirius blinked. "Really?"

The mention of "the bond" didn't escape Harry's notice.

Remus shot Sirius a fondly annoyed look. "Yes, yes it does."

Offering a hopefully innocent smile to Remus, Sirius turned to Harry again. "What do I look like?

Harry grinned. "Cropped brown hair, blue eyes, and a scar on your left cheek."

Sirius' lips formed in a grin. "Not bad, not bad." He handed the last two bottles to Remus and Harry. "Here you got, gents. Go for it."

Remus hesitated for a moment before nodding. Screwing off the top of his bottle, he drunk it and almost gagged. "Merlin. I forgot just how awful potions tasted."

Sirius gave a charming smile. "I guess I forgot to warn you."

Remus shot him a mock annoyed look but otherwise didn't react. If he reacted to every little thing that Sirius said or did, his hair would have been completely gray long before now.

Picking up a little of his thoughts. Sirius chuckled before playfully poking Harry in the arm. "Don't leave us hanging, kid."

Harry startled, obviously having forgotten that they couldn't see the changes before saying, "Shoulder length black hair, gree-no, brown eyes, and...an earing in your right ear." Both he and Sirius broke out in laughter.

Remus's eyes widened."An earing?"

Harry nodded, still chuckling. He opened his own bottle and drunk the contents. He winced, pushing the empty bottle back at Remus. "Here, keep it."

"Thanks," Remus said, dryly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Brown hair on the spiky side, and blue eyes," Sirius said to Harry, returning the favor.

Just as Harry opened his mouth to say something, a knock on the door interrupted him again.

Remus sighed, looking at Sirius. "Your turn."

Sirius wrinkled his nose, obviously not impressed with that idea, before getting up.

Much to his surprise, he found Minerva when he opened the door.

Not at lot surprised the Deputy Headmistress but when she caught sigh of Sirius, her eyes gave a small flicker.

"It's Sirius," he quickly said. An obvious expression of relief came over her

"Hello, Mr. Black," she said, nodding. "I came to see if Mr. Lupin and Mr. Potter were ready."

Sirius blinked, before understanding dawned on him. "Ah, yes. That. Um. Yeah, think they're getting ready now," he said, knowing good and well that Harry was still in their sleeping clothes. He rasied a hand. "I'll be right back." With that, he quickly disappears back inside, leaving the door open in his haste.

"McGonagall is here," he said as soon as he returned to them. Harry's eyes widened and a nervous look appeared on his face.

Remus gave him a reassuring one armed hug. "Hey, we'll have a lot of fun, I'm sure. Don't worry about it."

"Now, scat. Go get dressed," Sirius said, making shooing motions with his hands. Something caught his eye. "Wait, did you eat anything besides that muffin?" This was addressed to Harry. A look of panic flashed in his eyes.

Sirius took that as no. He sighed. "When you get back, there's going to be food waiting for you." He gave a pointed look at Harry, who just shrugged. Harry always had an odd relationship with food.

Remus caught his gaze. Silently, it was agreed on that they would have to have a serious talk with Harry about it. Again.

Shaking his head, Sirius repeated his earlier shooing motions at Remus and Harry. "Go on you two."

Harry laughed and Remus rolled his eyes. Sirius turned away and headed back to where he was keeping his former professor waiting, leaving the other two to their own devices.

They stood there in silence for a moment, before Sirius asked, "You'll keep them safe, right?"

She nodded. "Of course, Mr. Black."

Sirius threaded his fingers together and looked down. He didn't like this. A few moments later, Remus and Harry came out, who was dressed this time. There was a nervous yet excited look in Harry's eyes.

Remus turned to Srius, eyes filled with concern. "One, sleep for a bit. You didn't sleep well last night, I know. Two, try to stay away from Snape. Three, see if you can work out a rough draft of your backgrounds. And four." Remus placed a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "And four, we'll be back soon."

Harry was the only one who saw the smile upwards curl of McGonagall's mouth as she watched her two former students. Harry ducked his head to hide a smile of his own.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Have fun, you two," he said, giving a wave before ducking back into their rooms and shutting the door behind him. That felt too much like goodbye. A tight feeling settled into his chest.

Sighing, he shook his head. Yeah, maybe Remus was right. Some sleep might help him.

Walking over to Remus's bed, he crawled in, burying himself under the blankets.

He falls asleep instantly.

xxx

Sirius woke up with a start. Blinking, he set up, confused as he looked around. What had woken him?

That was when he smelled the smoke. And heard the scream.

Throwing back the blankets, he stood up befre grabbing his wand from his dressing gown that was on the floor.

He hurried over to the door, and tense, opned it. And found himself staring face-to-face with his cousin.

"_Confringo_!" Sirius shouted just as she shouted: "_Diffindo!"_

He dodged, the edge of his arm the only thing hit. A sharp, stinging pain.

Sirius swore under his breath and throw up the shielding charm just as "Expulso!" hits inches away from him.

Dark Mark.

Her cackling laughter made him flinch as she stalked closer to him.

Her eyes met his and for a moment, he froze.

"_Bella, wait for me!"_

"_Hurry up, 'Rius. We're going be late."_

He pulled himself from the memory just as he realized he had dropped his shielding charm. As he tried to pull it back up, a spell hit him in the chest.

_Harry, Remus, stay away. Please, stay away._

Everything went black

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